All These Years
by Sophie Ranier
Summary: Its been 21 years since Team Gibbs has been the same. What has brought some people even closer than they ever thought, and others futher away then they ever imagined? Tiva. McAbby
1. The New Bullpen

**Written for the NCIS: Next Generation challenge by RedDragonForce1. **

**I know I should really finish the others stories, but I have a good feeling about this one.**

**Disclaimer: No, sadly, no ownership for me *sad face***

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_"The farther backward you can look, the farther foward you will see" -Winston Churchill_

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2031:NCIS:Bullpen

It was a quite May morning. Special Agent Carson looked around the bullpen area, in search for his boss. Sure, that it was only him and Sandy in the bullpen he quickly typed in the url to a gaming site, and with the volume on mute began to blow up any rockets coming towards his screen.

"Don't you think that game is a little juvenile?" Sandy asked from across the bullpen. Her gray eyes staring blankly at the plasma.

"I don't know what your talking about." he said coolly, continuing his game.

"Your playing Battle-Star Galaxy Warriors. The game is designed for 10 year olds."

"Ok, how can you possibly tell what game I'm playing?" he asked in disbelief. He had seen his partner do many amazing things even though she was blind, but knowing what game he was playing was not one of them.

"I can hear you pressing the up, down, left, right, and spacebar keys. And plus, that's the only game you've been playing this week." her eyes never looking at him, but he could see the content on her face.

"Hey, what'd I say bout the games?" Special Agent Tanner said sternly, striding into the bullpen.

"Not until the case is solved." Carson mumbled closing the game. He glared at Sandy who had on a smug smile.

"Where's David?" Tanner asked looking over at the empty desk across from him as the phone rang.

"Right here." she said breathlessly entering the bullpen. "Sorry, I got myself into a bit of a jelly."

"Jam." Carson rolled his eyes.

"Yes, sorry. It will not happen aga-"

"It better not." Zack said hanging up his desk phone. "Dead marine at Quantico, let's roll." he said putting his SIG into his holster and started for the elevator, Carson and Anna close behind.

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Meanwhile:Outside MTAC

It was a cool day in the middle of May in Washington D.C.

More specifically, it was a _quiet_, cool day in Washington D.C.

No dead marines, no missing kids, and no smuggled koalas.

Director Timothy McGee stood in front of MTAC, leaning over the balcony looking over the main floor, he chuckled at the memory of the smuggled koala case on the Alabama. He tried to remember a time when Team Gibbs was close, but those memories where too far away, but still, Tim tried to keep them fresh in his mind.

He looked down at the bullpen, the bullpen where, at one time, him, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs had sat for endless hours, following leads, filling in case reports, catching the bad guys, or just sat and enjoyed each others presences.

That was the bullpen that he had been told held too many memories for Tim to count. The bullpen he had spent the previous 26 years working in, his desk changing 3 different times.

But now, 21 years after the anniversary of the event that had shattered the team, putting in place a number of events and emotions that would tear some members of the team further apart than they ever thought, and some team members closer together than they ever imagined, he looked onto the bullpen and watched the new MCRT.

He chuckled at the site of Special Agent Carson Taylor and Special Agent Sandy Watson bickering about who knows what.

The two agents were extremely close. Carson was her partner, her eyes. He was her ride to and from home and although they bantered constantly, they always had each other's sixes. Sandy was not a field agent, because of her blindness. She was the teams main interrogator, she claimed she could hear the lies in peoples voices. Despite her sweet and innocent looking exterior, she had a rock hard interior. Usually, it was the blank stare that broke the perps. But it didn't make a difference, because in the year that she, and the rest of the team, had been there, there wasn't one suspect that had passed a Watson Interrogation.

At times she would be able to just listen to the details of a case and get the best lead out of anyone. She reminded Tim so much of Kate.

And Carson, as he expected, had become the next Dinozzo of the team. The womanizer, the movie-critic, the sarcastic pain in the ass, but ultimately the loyal field agent and great investigator.

And right on cue Tim watched as team leader, Special Agent Zach Tanner came into view, giving a side comment to Carson, making sure not to spill his coffee, and continuing to his desk.

Then he noticed Liaison Officer Anna David stride into the bullpen. It was late for her, she was usually the first one in the bullpen. He watched as she sat down at her desk and said something to Carson and Sandy, at which point Carson muttered something back to her. Tim figured she had attempted to correctly say an American idiom and had, as usual, gotten in wrong. Only to be corrected seconds later by Carson.

_God_, Tim thought, _she's so much like her mother_.

Sometimes, when he looked down at the team, he could swear that Anna was her mother, but after a few blinks his mind came back to reality.

Tanner picked up the phone, which had rang as soon as he rounded the bullpen. He muttered a few words then picked up his backpack and gun, informing the others to follow him.

_I guess today may not be that quiet_, Tim smiled.

He watched the new team get into the elevator, the were all so young. Ever since Vance had retired, younger and younger agents seemed to be piling in. But that was good, it was about time some fresh, new life came into NCIS.

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice calling his name. he turned around see Vivian, one of the MTAC techies, holding the door ajar.

"Director McGee, Director David is on line." she informed him with a smile, everyone liked Tim as director, especially after the 20 some years with Vance and his constant changes.

"Thank you." he said walking into MTAC.

As he got into the middle of MTAC the rainbow stripes instantly transformed into a live image of Mossad Director Ziva David.

"Shalom Director." she said, a small smile slipping from her lips.

"Shalom Director." he replied with a smile and a nod.

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**Ok, so not much of a cliffhanger but review, and story alert to find out what happened to the rest of the team. I already know what happens (that's one of the perks of writing a story:D) but I wanna know what you think has happened all these years and where people might be.**

**Ok, well the more reviews, the faster I write, so please, it only takes a few seconds to review, pwease. They make my day:D**


	2. Directors

**Thank you guys soso much for all the amazing reviews! I loved and cherished each and everyone like it was my own child (not really, but they did make my night/day).**

**So, keep those reviews coming:D and you'll get an update sooner!**

**Disclaimer: I own many things, of these said things unfortunately, ncis is not included.**

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Ziva smiled at the sound of Tim's voice. She missed working with him. She missed working with all of them. But so much time had passed that she had gotten used to working by herself.

"So, what can I do for you, Director?" he asked, standing in the middle of MTAC.

"What?" she asked with mock innocence. "I can't just check up on an old friend?" she said with a smug smile.

He let out a small chuckle "You never use MTAC for house calls." she could see him narrow his eyes slightly. "Do you want to know how Anna is doing?"

"She is in your care. You know I trust you." she smiled; she did that a lot, especially whenever she was talking with McGee. She and he had become close over the years and when she sent her daughter, Anna, to become the MCRT's liaison officer, their trust bond had become closer. She came to America a lot more often now that Anna was here, but they still always emailed each other, telling the other how their life was going and asking each other how things were going on the other side of the Atlantic.

"Actually I need to tell you about the joint mission we are executing this week." she paused for a moment. "I will not be in the country for it. I am having someone temporarily take over for me."

"What?" he sounded a bit annoyed, but also a bit surprised. "Ziva, this may be one of the most important missions of the year!"

"I know…but do not worry; Avery will be taking over for me."

"Avery?! Look, he's a great officer but, this is a _huge_ mission. Do you think he's adequately prepared?" he raised his voice a bit.

"Yes, I know he has not had much experience as director, but he is going to take over for me in a few years, he needs to learn how to call the shoots."

"Shots!" he corrected immediately. He rubbed a hand furiously down the side of his face. "Ziva-"

"McGee! I do not tell you how to run NCIS. Please, do not tell me how to run my agency." she watched as he crossed his arms angrily.

"I'm not telling you how to run Mossad, I'm questioning your motives." he said sternly

"Well i do not need my motives questioned Tim!" her voice got higher.

A tense silence filled the room as they both eyed each other seriously.

"But since you _are_ a friend..." she trailed off. Ziva watched him for another moment. "May we have the room?" she asked, looking at the techies in the back.

Director McGee looked at the techies apologetically and motioned to the door while muttering a thank you as they left.

He eyed Ziva before she spoke.

"Anna has been _extremely_ persistent the past few days." she said with an eye-roll.

"She wants to meet her dad before the wedding?" he asked, although it sounded more of a statement.

"Yes, so, I believe it is time that…I tell him"

"Finally." he muttered under his breath.

"What?" she asked, obviously not hearing him.

But he ignored her request. "So, you're going to Mexico and leaving the agency in Avery's care?"

"I will only be gone for a short while." she said reassuringly.

McGee nodded understandingly. "Abby told me you were coming to the states sometime next week." he said, changing the subject.

Ziva nodded. "Anna wants to pick out her dress and she wants me to be there." she smiled

Tim sighed. "Ok, well I hope Avery works up to his expectations."

"Do not worry, he will." she said reassuringly.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." he said with a smile "Tell Gibbs and Tony I said 'hi'"

"And give my regards to Abby and Katie." she smiled

"I will. Shalom Ziva."

"Shalom." she said before the screen went back to rainbow stripes.

Tim walked out of MTAC, nodding at the techies gathered by the wall, assuring them it was ok to go in.

He started towards his office. This was going to be a long week. He knew it was going to be a long week with this mission going on. Tim was going to be constantly in and out of MTAC, briefing different secretaries, captains, and officers on the details of the mission hour after hour.

Director Timothy McGee could only hope that Avery would do a good job, actually an excellent job. One mistake and the entire mission could be in jeopardy.

Ziva was also stuck with a bit of a problem. She had promised Tim that Avery would be able to handle this mission. She knew he could but she hated putting pressure on him, but then again if he was going to be director in a few years he was going to have to get used to the pressure, just as she had for the last 20 years.

She glanced at the clock. 5:15. Her plane left in less than 24 hours. In less than 24 hours she was going to have to see the man she had been hiding from for the last 21 years, the man she hadn't see in 6 years.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in." she said loud enough for the person on the other side to hear.

The door opened and a young officer walked in. He had his father's build, and his mother's face.

"Ima, you wanted to see me." he said standing in from of her desk.

"Avery, I need you to watch the agency while I'm gone."

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Ok, so review with your questions and comments, seriously. What breaks my heart is when I get a story alert and no review. So please, it only takes a minute.

**And I know that if you really paid attention to the story that I left something (well, maybe a few things) a little up in the air. I'm not going to be very direct in this story, so you'll have to keep reading and reviewing to find out what's been going on for the past 21 years.**


	3. Sleepless Night

**Hey peoples! Another update:D yay!**

**Loved the reviews! Love that you guys are all putting the pieces together, that's what I want. I want this story to be like a puzzle and you have to take all the pieces and put them together to make one thing.**

**On another note, I wanted to start throwing in some small flashbacks here and there and then I thought of another idea: making a prequel to this story! **

**So, I wanna here your thoughts; do I just throw in random flashbacks here and there and you have to put the pieces together(I will tell you what time the flashbacks are occurring, I wont leave you that much in the dark). **

**Or do you want me to make a separate, multi-chapter story that brings you through the last 21 years??**

**Ok, so review with your opinion and anything/anyone else that you want to see.**

**oh! did anyone see mother's day? that's a silly question, if your on ncis fanfic then you should have seen it cause chances are your also an obsessed fan. i lol'd when she headslapped gibbs, i think i rewinded that scene like 6 times. but it was a great episode, a bit sad but still great!**

**flashback are in italics**

**Disclaimer: *looks both ways* nope, no NCIS here.**

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2031:Mossad HQ

"Are you sure?" Avery eyed his mother. "I mean, the Mossad-NCIS mission is this week."

"You don't think you can handle it." she lightly teased.

A small smirk played on his lips. "Oh, I can handle it." he said confidently. "I just want to know if _you_ think I can."

"Do you think I would pick you for this mission if I had no confidence in you?" she narrowed her eyes playfully.

Avery nodded. "Where will you be this week?" he asked. Ziva watched as he ran a hand through his hair to push it out of his face. Ziva let out a weak chuckle at the sight, his hair stuck up just as his father's did.

"Your sister's wedding is four months away. I cannot wait any longer."

**_3 weeks earlier_**

"_Ima?" Ziva heard her daughter call as she opened the door to her office._

"_Yes?" she answered, putting down the files she was reviewing._

"_I need to ask you something. It's about the wedding." she said quietly._

_Ziva motioned for her to sit down, which she did. _

"_You are not having second thoughts are you?" her mother asked concerned._

"_No! No, I love Ethan and I cannot wait to marry him." she quickly defended. "It's…about dad."_

_Ziva flinched slightly at the word. She had always taught them that they had a father; she had told them all about him, how they met, and the team. She had shown them pictures of him and they always referred to him as dad. But whenever asked why they could not meet him, she would shrug it off with an 'it's complicated'._

"_What about him?" she asked, shifting slightly in her seat._

"_I, I want him to be the one to walk me down the aisle."_

_Ziva looked at her daughter surprisingly. "I thought we agreed your Uncle Ali was going to?" she said quickly, as if trying to change her daughter's mind._

"_I know but…I am tired of hearing all about my father and yet not even meeting him! I want to know who my father is. You keep telling me that I remind you so much of him and I hate that I cannot even know what I am reminding you of!" her voice got louder and the words were more passionate with every sentence. _

_"I-I feel like part of me is missing! I am 21 years old, about to start a family and I do not even know half of mine! I thought that taking this liaison position was going to bring me closer to him. But…it's not! I want to meet him, and not just a few days before the wedding. I want to spend time with him. I want to know him. Why can't you just get over this 'fear' of seeing him that you have and let me know who my own father is?" _

_Anna was clearly raging with anger. Her clenched fists stayed at her side as she tried to get her breathing to be less heavy._

_Ziva looked at her in shock. "Are you done?" she asked coldly._

_After taking one final deep breath she muttered a 'yes'._

"_As I have told you many times, me and your father's relationship is-"_

"_Complicated! Yea, I have heard that one before, now what is the real reason?" she spat._

_Ziva sighed, she was about to tell her daughter something she had tried to keep from her for over 20 years._

"You are finally going to tell him?" Avery asked, more as a statement then as a hopeful question which was usually how he asked.

"It is time he knew, and it is time Anna and you met him."

"_He-your father, does not know about you." she finally said, quietly; hoping Anna would do the same._

_She stared at her mother in absolute disbelief and shock. Her eyes widened and her mouth moved as to say something, but no words came out._

"_Y-y-you never t-told him?!" she yelled angrily. "You never told him he had kids?! He doesn't know we even exist?!" her eyes still wide in shock as she shouted angry words and phrases in Hebrew, until Ziva scolded her to stop._

"_H-how could you do this? To us…t-to HIM?" she screamed at her mom in disbelief._

_Ziva gave Anna a stern look, mentally commanding her to calm down. Anna recognized the look. She knew her mother thought she was being over dramatic like her father, so she had been told._

"_Anna, I have my reasons for not telling your father, just as I have reasons for telling you about him." Ziva said calmly._

"_What are they? You keep telling me that you loved him, and that you regret not staying with him. Don't you think he deserves to know?" she questioned, her voice staying at a normal tone._

_Ziva closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she knew Anna was right but she didn't want to accept it._

"_Not now Tateleh, it is late and you have to go back to Washington tomorrow."_

_Anna looked at her mother and let out a frustrated sigh, she wasn't going to get any answers out of Ziva any time soon. _

"_Go to bed, you need some rest." Ziva said getting up and placing a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead._

"_Laila Tov" she muttered before leaving._

Avery nodded. "How long will you be gone?"

"I'll be in Mexico for a week, and then I am helping your sister pick out her wedding dress. But by that time the mission should be over."

"Am _I _ever going to meet him?" he asked after a brief moment of silence.

Ziva looked at her son with a bit of surprise. She hadn't really expected that from him. Anna was always the one that had really pushed her to meet her father.

"I hope so. But, Avery, I do not even know how he is going to take this. Your father is…complex."

"Yea, you've said that before." he sighed, looking down at the carpet.

"Yes, I know." she said, matching his disappointment. "Look, I am going to Mexico to try to make amends with your father, but I am not promising you, or Anna, anything."

"Ok." was all he could say, well actually mutter.

Ziva forced a small smile. "You should get some rest. I leave in the morning and you have a long week ahead of you." she got up took his face in her hands, looking straight into his matching chocolate-brown eyes. "I have full confidence in you. You are going to be great." she commanded him.

A small smile tugged at his lips. He knew this mission was going to be important and he knew that if he did well on this mission it just meant one step closer to becoming director, which he had wanted since he was young.

"I love you." she said planting a small kiss on his brow.

She watched her son leave the room and head for his bedroom before going back to her desk and finishing some more paperwork.

Eventually tiredness overtook her. She headed to her room, changed into silk pajama pants and went to grab the matching shirt. But as she was going through her drawers looking for it she noticed a patch of gray at the bottom of her drawer. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not recognizing the fabric.

Ziva gently pulled it out, realization staining her face as the logo on the front became clear in the light.

It was one of Tony's old Ohio State t-shirts.

She remembered all the sleepless nights she had worn this when she first left. She remembered all the sleep full nights she had worn this, nestled in Tony's embraced

But it had been years since she had even seen it. The shirt was the only thing of Tony's she had kept. She wished she had kept more but as she was packing she realized she had left most of her stuff at Tony's. The only thing left of his at her apartment was this shirt.

She traced the logo with her fingers. A single tear threatening to leave her eye.

She quickly put the shirt on and lifted the collar up to her nose; taking in the scent, but any trace of cologne that usually lingered on his clothes had been washed away by time.

Ziva walked solemnly to her bed laying her head on the pillow, she turned her head and looked at the empty side of the bed. The one she so desperately whished was occupied, but never was. And thought about all the what-if's, the regrets she had, but they were nothing new.

She knew that this was going to be one of those sleepless nights.

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**Kay, so there's the next chapter for ya'll. **

**So review with any questions/comments. I loved hearing all your theories on the last chapter, so please continue with those. If you get something right I may just dedicate a chapter to you…**

**Next chapter, which im hoping to have by tomorrow night, will introduce you to a new character and go back to something I left unanswered in the last chapter.**

**Thankx again for all the reviews and I hope to here from ALL of you! Please! I really wanna know what you think has been happening, where you think people are, and why people they are in this situation, I really do!**


	4. Wife and Daughter

**Hey peoples, back with a new update. **

**This is a good chapter you learn a new thing! Yay for learing! **

**People! Pwease! You gotta help me! I really wanna know what you want outta this story. Come on people I wanna know what you think has been happening. So please and thank you!**

**But, thank you for those of you who have reviewed and put your input it, some of you have some really good theories!**

_**flashback are in italics**_

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2031:NCIS:Director McGee's Office

Director McGee sat at his desk finishing up some paperwork. He placed last file in the stack on his desk and rubbed his hands on his eyes. He was damn tired.

Letting out a small yawn, something caught his eye.

The picture frame on the far left of his desk.

He smiled at the picture in it, more at the people in it.

His wife and daughter.

The picture was new; they had just taken it last month, on his wife's birthday.

She had wanted to go to the park down the block from their house, for a family picnic.

_"Come on! It'll be fun!" she squealed when he nodded. "Bring the camera!" she yelled to him as she raced her daughter to the car._

McGee, his wife of twelve years, and fourteen year old daughter all took turns holding the camera taking freelance pictures of the other two. They had a whole album of pictures from that day.

_"Aw!" she squealed at the picture she had just taken of her husband and daughter play tackling "That one's going to Granpa and Gramma!" she laughed, the camera clicking away as father and daughter chased each other down the grassy hill._

This particular picture was his favorite though.

Both his wife and daughter were sitting on the checkerboard picnic blanket. His wife's ivory-skinned arms wrapped loosely around his daughter. With her head placed on top of her daughter's head; her raven black hair mixed into the teen's dark brown waves. Their matching green eyes sparkled in the light while their lips were parted into a smile, laughing about a joke now forgotten.

They were a close family, closer than most. They always had a family dinner and McGee and his wife dropped off their daughter at school on their way to work. The three of them always had at least one family outing a week, which usually consisted of them picking out a museum or other public place to go for the day.

At home, light banter and constant laughter filled the rooms. It was a great environment for the bright, outgoing teen to grow up in.

McGee thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at the door. Before he could react, though, the door was opened and his wife and daughter appeared with two brown bags filled with Chinese food.

"We brought dinner" Abby, formerly Sciuto, McGee sang as she placed the bag on the small table in the far end of his office.

Katie McGee put the bag she was holding next to the identical one and dramatically plopped down on the leather couch, leaving a space for her dad.

McGee smiled at the site of his wife and daughter, unpacking the containers of food from the bags. Over the years, he had learned to enjoy the little things in life. To not take anything for granted.

He had noticed something about Abby over the years. She had changed, not too much though. She had grown out of the Goth phase, she usually wore t-shirts and jeans, something Tim had rarely seen her in before they had gotten married. Abby hardly wore her hair in pigtails either, but besides that and going against her belief that she would never get married, she was still the bubbly forensic scientist he had loved.

He got up and walked towards the empty space on the couch next to Katie, his lips quickly meeting Abby's as he passed her.

"Thank God. I'm starving." he said as Katie handed her dad a container of chow mien.

"I heard Ziva's coming next week." Tim said after everyone had gotten comfortable and started eating.

"Yea, we're all going dress shopping." Abby said with a mouthful of sesame chicken.

"Did she say anything about Mexico?" he asked as he playfully smacked away his daughter's fork from entering his container, earning him a teasing glare from her before she let out a small giggle.

"Mexico? No, why?" Abby said a bit confused.

"She's going there this week, Avery's watching over Mossad while she's gone."

"Good. I think Avery's gunna make a great director one day." she said before a small expression of realization hit her. "Wait? Why is she going to Mexico?" she asked as she reached over and picked up a piece of broccoli that had been hanging from her husband's lip and dropped it in her mouth with a chuckle.

Tim smiled at the playful gesture, but then regained slight seriousness. He hesitated at first. "She's going to tell him."

He could tell his answer caught her by surprise as she coughed a few times, trying to not choke on the broccoli.

Katie looked at her mother worryingly. "Aunt Ziva's gunna tell who what?" she asked confused, obviously not following.

Abby ignored her daughter's question. "Whoa, she's seriously going to tell him?" she asked shocked. Tim nodded.

"Who?" Katie asked louder.

"I thought she didn't want to." her eyebrows furrowed.

"She said Anna's been extremely persistent."

Katie lifted her arms up dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me!" Katie said waving her arms for their attention. "I have a question!" she said annoyed.

"Calm down McGrouchy." Abby teased her daughter. Katie stuck her tongue out, a gesture that Abby returned. Both girls burst into a short giggle fit.

"What is Aunt Ziva telling who? And why is it such a big deal?" she asked.

Tim looked at Abby. "She's old enough to understand." she nodded.

"Uncle Tony…is Anna and Avery's father."

Katie looked at her parents in shock. "Uncle Tony? And he doesn't know?"

"No, Ziva never told him." Tim answered.

"Aren't they something like twenty-one years old?" she asked in disbelief.

Abby nodded.

"Wow. I can't see them together. I mean, their never together."

"The last time they've seen each other was 6 years ago." Abby agreed. "But it was different before…" she trailed off in her thoughts.

Tim rubbed her leg lovingly. She looked up at him a smiled.

"You know today's the anniversary." she said absently

"Yea…21 years to the day." he looked at the floor.

Katie watched as her dad started at the floor, and her mom studied the table. They ate their food absently, quietly, lost in their thoughts.

She decided to finish the rest of the meal without asking anymore questions. Her parents may have been cool at sometimes, but other times they were just plain weird.

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**Hope you like the chapter, and hope you have some questions. I hope to answer them in the next few chapters.**

**Im gunna try and get an update soonish, hopefully tomorrow night or something.**

**Im gunna have some more McAbby flashbacks in another chapter or two, and i'll make sure i give u some more insite on what happened between them:D**

**cheerio for now (not british, never will be, wish i had an australian accent, but unfortunatly i have a newbernian accent(according to my cousins, who live in ny.))**


	5. Siesta Time?

**Kay, new update. Yay!**

**Still wanna hear your theories and thoughts about what has been happening. **

**So, this chapter will definitely leave a big question and it will give you another piece of the puzzle.**

**Keep on reading and reviewing! :D**

**Please and thank you!**

**This chapter is for bat-with-butterfly-wings; cause she's awesome!**

_**flashbacks are in italics**_

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2031:Mexico

Leroy Jethro Gibbs lay peacefully on the swinging hammock outside his former mentor's old shack. After being forced into early retirement 21 years ago he moved in with Mike, much like he did when he 'retired'. And when Mike died 17 years ago he left the house in Gibbs' care.

Gibbs took a long sip of beer and sighed as he remembered the day that had changed his life and the team's lives.

But that was 21 years ago and the only things he had gotten out of it was a prosthetic leg, a shack in Mexico, and his former senior field agent as a roommate.

Gibbs watched as Tony emerged from the shack, with a sack of laundry slung over his shoulder.

"Goin into town. Need anything?" he asked, his eyes squinting as he looked into the rising sun.

Gibbs shook his head before placing the NCIS baseball hat that had been placed on his head, over his face, covering his tanned skin and icy blue eyes from the sun's rays.

He watched as the younger man got into the old blue pickup and headed towards the dirt road.

Gibbs took another sip of beer as he thought about the last few years. At first the years seemed to go by so slowly, but that was when he was forced to retire. Now that he had accepted it, he wished the days went by slower. He tried to enjoy every moment of retirement now.

He cocked his head to the right a bit, looking out into the light, sandy beach that met the Gulf's peaceful water. The crystal blue waved gently hit the sides of his boat. The "Team". It was a cheesy name but after Abby ripped up the Kelly he had run out of names.

At first, the 'Team' had helped filled the void space he felt when he was forced to leave the job he loved, the job we lived for. But eventually, when the physical rehabbing had paid off and his emotions were back in place, he started to see the team more and more often. Of course, his growing father and son relationship with Dinozzo, made Tony take his frequent comings as a sign that it was ok for _him _to retire to Gibbs' shack.

Gibbs hadn't minded at all. But of course he didn't tell Tony that he enjoyed his presence. Well in a way, he kinda did. He made him feel needed, if making him do most of the handy work around the house counted as making him feel wanted, then mission accomplished by Gibbs.

But having Tony around was definitely an advantage. The three years between Mike's death and Tony's retirement were pretty hard. It wasn't easy living on your own with one leg, though by that time he had gotten used to the prosthetic one. He spent the first of those two years at Ducky's, watching as Tony slowly crumbled under the pressure of politics and constant team changes Vance was making.

Even retired, Gibbs saw as much of his team as he could. He was there for Ziva when she had the twins.

"_One more to go." he said whispered, kissing her temple. He watched as she held the fragile girl lovingly in her arms, a smile appeared on her face, one mixed with both pride and love. Then he noticed the slight worry in her face as she felt the next contraction. "Here he comes." the doctor said, waving a hand at the nurse. She saw the gesture and rushed to Ziva's side taking the small baby from her._

_Ziva took Gibbs' hand and looked up at him nervously._

"_Just one more. You'll be fine." he assured her rubbing his fingers across her knuckles._

_She nodded, then turned to the doctor as he told her to push....._

"_You did good." he said looking down at Ziva, who was holding Avery in one arm and Anna in another. _

_"I should tell him." she said, almost trying to convince herself, rather than Gibbs._

_"It's your choice."_

He was there for Katie's birth.

"_No! Gibbs, stay please." Abby whined._

"_Abby, McGee's gunna wanna be here." he argued._

"_McGee's the reason I'm here! In pain! He the last person I wanna see." she shouted._

"_Don't let your hormones speak for you Abs, your gunna regret it."_

"_Hormones Smormones!" she yelled. Gibbs glared at her until she finally held up her arms in defeat. "Fine!" she huffed. _

_Gibbs walked towards the door and opened it to find Tim leaning against the wall a look of defeat on his face._

"_She doesn't want me." he muttered in disbelief._

_Gibbs put his hand on McGee shoulder. "Her hormones are ranging, she's not thinking right. Believe me she wants you." he said caringly._

_He looked up at his former boss, who gave him a quick smile. McGee was surprised by the gesture but returned it._

_And Gibbs could only watch in pride as Tim ran into the room just as his girlfriend was screaming out his name._

For Tim and Abby's wedding.

_Abby looked at herself in the full length mirror. She nervously twisted one of the curled pigtails that were tied below her neck._

"_You look beautiful." she heard a hoarse voice that could only be Gibbs._

_Eyes still gazing into the mirror, her focus turned to the doorway behind her._

"_Gibbs!" she said kindly before turning around. Abby walked towards him and embrace him in a hug._

"_You ready?" he asked fixing her bangs slightly._

_Abby took a deep breath. "Ready." she said confidently interlocking her arm in his as they walked towards the back of the church._

For most of Katie's birthdays.

"_Pop-Pop!" the four year old squealed, running towards Gibbs, who was sitting in the recliner of the McGee residence. _

"_There's the birthday girl." he chuckled as she plopped onto his lap._

"_Guess what?" Katie giggled. _

"_What Katie girl?" he asked enthusiastically._

"_I this years old." she said holing up four fingers._

"_Which means you get four kisses" he said attacking her with playful pecks to the forehead and cheek as she squirmed and laughed in delight._

He was there for Ducky's funeral.

_He stood in the back of the viewing room, by himself, quietly. The man that had spent almost every day of his life surrounded by death had turned the table. Now, everyone around Ducky was surrounded by death._

_He walked solemnly to the open coffin. Staring at his long time friend. Thankfully the funeral home had done a good job with his body, but it wasn't him. It wasn't the Ducky he had always known. The encyclopedia mind that never stopped working._

_The silver haired fox could only recite a silent prayer as a single tear ran down him face. _

He was there when Tim was promoted to Director.

"_I'm proud of you Tim." he said with his hand placed firmly on McGee's shoulder. _

_Tim smiled. He never thought he'd ever hear those words._

_But what really surprised McGee was when Gibbs gave him a light hug, and even gave him a few pat on the backs._

And the new team was brought in. The kids that he had inspired to become agents.

"_Before I met you I wanted to become a teacher, for the blind. But after working with you…" Sandy let out a soft chuckle. "The only thing I wanted to do was become an agent, now look at me."_

Gibbs had almost fallen asleep when he heard the familiar sound of footstep on the deck.

He turned his head slightly to the right, expecting to see Tony with his arms full of groceries and laundry, but that's not what he saw.

Instead he saw Ziva.

Ziva never came. Never.

At least not since Tony had moved in.

She smiled at the sight of her former boss, former marine sniper, lying lazily on the swinging hammock.

"Siesta time?" she teased.

"Whadda you doin here?" he asked with a smirk.

"Good to see you too Gibbs."

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**All mistakes are mine, I just wanted to get this chapter up.**

**Ok, a bit fluffy, but next chapters in Mexico wont be.**

**But now she's here in Mexico, there's no turning back. Tony should be here any minute!**

**Ok, I'll try to get another update out as soon as I can but school is…school so…I'll try!**

**Review, review, Review!**


	6. Interrogation

**Kay, sorry bout the delay, school is mean. **

**Oh! Did anyone see Double Identity? It was so sad! With ducky's mom. But still I lol'd when Gibbs was like taking a nap in autopsy. And Mortimer, he was so cute!**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews, keep em coming! Love to hear your theories, some of you have good ones!**

**IMPORTANT! READ: Im gunna be doing some editing as far as grammar and stuff so if you get like a bunch of updates from me, just ignore them, or you can go back and read and review them if you want *hint hint, nudge nudge***

**This chapter is for _RedDragonForce1_, actually the whole story is for him but, he did want a scene with Sandy in interrogation so… here you go! **

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2031:NCIS:Interrogation/Observation Rooms

Tim started through the interrogation window.

A 20 somewhat petty officer was sitting on the far side of the table, fidgeting with his fingers and tapping his foot nervously.

He looked down, not straight ahead as to see his reflection in the mirror.

Suddenly, the door swung open making the petty officer jump a bit in his seat. Special Agent Watson came entered, her arm looped around Special Agent Taylor's as he guided her to the seat. On the other side of the glass Tim kept his eyes on Sandy as Anna came in to observation and took her place next to him.

"Come to see the show Director?" she smirked.

"Heard about how good she is in interrogation, though I've only seen her once. Thought I'd come down here and take a break from the paperwork." he said as he watched Carson lean casually against the mirror.

It was obvious that the petty officer was getting more nervous, as he tried not making eye contact with Sandy, whose blank stare was starting to make him sweat.

"L-look Ma'am, I-I didn't have anything to do with S-sanchez being dead." he stuttered.

"I never said you did." she replied coolly.

"We-well then why am, am I here?" he asked wiping his sweaty palms across his thighs.

"Do you always bounce on your toes when you're nervous?" she asked, still staring at the back wall.

"Huh-What?" he asked surprised. Carson looked down to see the petty officer stop moving his feet. "Uh, sorry I-"

"Don't apologize." she interrupted.

Carson wandered over to the table and opened the file that lay in front of her.

"These were taken the night of Sanchez's murder." she said as Carson laid out the pictures in front of him. They were taken from a security camera outside the club. Each one clearly showed the petty officer leaving the area where Sanchez was murdered.

The petty officer looked away from the pictures, biting his inner lip.

"We have you leaving the crime scene, at the time of death." she said.

"No! Look! W-when I left, Sanchez was alive. Drunk, but alive." he said in defense.

"Does your voice always get higher when you lie?" she asked, more in observation than intimidating.

Tim looked at Anna, slightly confused. He hadn't noticed a difference in his voice.

"She can detect the slightest change, it's actually pretty scary sometimes." she answered with a chuckle.

"And I find that very hard to believe petty officer." Sandy said as he looked at her in confusion.

"Find what hard to believe?"

"That you went out with petty officer Sanchez. Your CO said you two didn't get along, at all. In fact, there were a mutual amount of complaints you two filed against each other." she said.

The petty officer's expression got cold. But it didn't affect Sandy; she didn't even notice the difference.

He leaned on the table a bit. "Are you aware that Sanchez was trying to sell secrets about our op. we're laughing next week?" he asked as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"To who?" she asked in mock interest.

"I don't know but-"

Sandy cut him off "No! Sanchez wasn't trying to sell out anyone. What he was doing though, was sleeping with your wife!" she shouted, startling the petty officer and making him almost fall back into his seat.

Carson knew that that was his cue. He took the manila folder he had been holding, out of the plastic evidence bag and spread its contents out in front of him.

They were surveillance pictures of the petty officer's wife and Sanchez on a beach, clearly doing more than just sunbathing.

"You had a P.I. follow your wife while she was on "business" and when he came back with these, you killed petty officer Sanchez." she said, her voice getting louder with each word.

The petty officer's eyes were wide. He stood up in protest. "Where'd you-"

"It doesn't matter!" she shouted. Pausing for a second as the petty officer recovered from the slight shock. "Sit down." she continued coldly.

Carson watched as his jaw tightened before sitting down. When he was seated he rubbed his face and head in his hands. He banged his fists against the table, making Carson tense a bit, ready to protect his partner if things got ugly. But Sandy kept her cool, not even flinching.

"He slept with my wife." he hissed. "That bastard slept with my wife!" he now shouted.

But alas, he slumped down in his chair and hung his head in defeat. Carson knew that position and quickly reached for his handcuffs.

"Petty Officer Twain, you're under arrest for the murder of Petty Officer Mark Sanchez, you have the right to-" he continued the Miranda Rights as he lead Twain out of the room, Sandy grabbed onto his belt loop and followed.

"She's good, excellent actually. I should come down here more often." Director McGee said from the other side of the let a small chuckle escape. "Yes, she's amazing. You know," she started, mischievously, "she could be of great use in Mossad." she said with a joking smile.

"Oh no," he laughed. "We're not giving you our best interrogator." he said, both sharing a small laugh.

Anna took a deep breath, changing the mood of the room. "You and my father were close right?" she asked, turning around and leaning against the window.

"Yea, haven't see him in a few years, but we were on the same team most of the time." referring to the multiple occasions Vance had broken up the team.

"How was he in interrogation?" she asked.

Tim was a little surprised by the question. He was never really asked that. "Tony's technique was-different. Effective, but different." he said chuckling from some memories.

"My mother left for Mexico this morning, yes?"

"Yea." he said glancing at his watch. "She actually should be there by now."

She nodded and there was a small pause before she asked what she really wanted to know.

"How do you think he will take it?" she asked, slightly nervous.

His brow furred in slight confusion. "Do you think he will want to see us, me and Avery?" she asked and he could hear the hope in her voice.

"I do." he replied. "And I'm sure if you're mom had told him. He would have been there. He loved your mom."

She cracked a small smile. But hesitated for the next question. "Why did she leave? Everyone, including Ima, is always saying that they both loved each other. But when I ask Ima why she left…she just won't tell me."

Tim looked at her with sincerity written all over his face. "Look, Ziva and Tony loved each other. They were in love. But once your grandfather died and Ziva was asked to take over Mossad, there was so much going on that…she just took it." he paused. "It was mostly the stress. When Gibbs left, the whole team kinda fell apart. I wasn't like the last time. And with Vance's constant team changes….I think that's just what your mom needed. Something, constant. And I guess…Mossad could provide that for her."

Anna looked a bit disappointed. "So then why didn't my father come with her or, or why didn't they stay in touch, you said it yourself! They loved each other."

Tim didn't have the answer. He hadn't the slightest clue as to why Ziva and Tony didn't stay together; he only had Ziva's view of the story. He hadn't asked Tony anything about their 'break-up'. He knew Tony hadn't taken it well.

There were a lot of things about Tony and Ziva that he had decided would be better off untouched.

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**Ok, so there's the next chapter, their were a few things cleared up I guess. Like some people thought Tony left Ziva, but I was the other way around. **

**So I think next chapter's gunna be McAbby centric. I'm gunna show you where Jimmy is too! Yay! And his ironic new assistant. **

**Any more suggestions/theories/just plain o' reviews? Then press the button, you know you wanna!:D**


	7. Labby

**I thought I'd make you guys suffer a bit and just put out a fluffy Mcabby chapter before we get to the intense Tivaness. But this is an important chapter so…read, and review! I love those things!**

**and who can't wait for Jurisdiction? i can't, cause my uncle's a liason for CGIS (between the coast guard and CGIS, kind like Ziva was) so it's gunna be like his people.**

**Over 40 reviews! Yay! Keep 'em coming :D!**

**sorry bout the millions of updates for this chapter, i suck at proof reading so thank you alix33 for pointing them out:D**

**Disclaimer: you guys must like to see me suffer**

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2031: Abby's Lab

Abby stood at her computer, staring blankly at the screen which pictured dozens of faces every second. Tanner was having her run facial recognition on some security tapes.

She let out a tired yawn and rolled her neck around her head a few times. She had been staring at the monitor for a good 10 minutes. AFIS usually got her a match by now.

"Abby?" she heard a gentle voice call.

She whipped her head around to see Amanda Lee standing at the doorway.

"Hey, whadda got for me?" she asked wandering towards the younger woman.

"Here are the blood samples Jimmy wants you to run for the John Doe." she said kindly, handing her a small tray of beakers.

"Thanks." she said, before the medical assistant turned around to walk out the door. "Hey!" she called, causing Amanda to turn around. "You didn't see Katie anywhere did you?"

"She was just in autopsy. I think she was going to see Tim before coming down." she said with a smile.

"Ok, Thanks."

"Anytime." she called back as she headed for the elevator.

Abby started to get the blood samples ready for Major Mass Spec when she heard the ding of the elevator.

"Thought I'd find you here." the voice said, entering the lab.

"This _is_ my lab." she joked back to Katie.

"You're always in here." Katie replied with mock complaint.

"Do you _not_ want me to work?" she asked, not turning away from her work while her daughter wandered over the computer, boringly tapping some of the keys. "Stop that!" she laughed, launching herself at her daughter.

"Tanner needs me to I.D. these men ASAP!" she said, playfully slapping Katie's hands away from the keyboard.

"Ok, ok!" Katie said holding her hands up like a suspect that just got caught. "But seriously, you're always in your lab. Don't you like to roam around the building once in a while, change of scenery?"

"Like you?" she giggled, referring to the numerous times Katie has gotten lost in the building, but now after 14 years she knew every nook and cranny of the building.

"Yes!" she said proudly. "I mean, it must get pretty boring staring at the same pictures, the same machines, the same people, or lack of." She started a small drum solo on Major Mass Spec.

"Last time I had an assistant, he tried to kill me." She said, chuckling at the memory.

Katie looked at her mother in shock. But Abby didn't see the face as she shooed her away from the mass spectrometer and casually placed the blood samples in the machine and turned it on.

"You never told me that!" Katie pointed out in disbelief.

"Oh yea. Actually I've almost died in this lab a few times. I think that's why I love this lab so much."

"Because it's a death trap?"

"No." she said with a chuckle. "There are so many memories in this lab."

"Since when is dying a memory you want to remember?"

Abby tried to hold back a smile as she shook her head. "That's not the _only_ thing that's happened in this lab. Lots of other stuff happened, good stuff. Well there were also a couple bad things but, mostly good stuff."

Abby stepped away from Major Mass Spec and motioned for Katie to follow her into the next room.

Once there, she sat on her chair and slowly swiveled it back and forth while Katie sat on the edge of the desk.

"This is where I first met Kate Tony, and Ziva. And where I first heard your dad's voice, but that was back when he was a wee probie. This is where I told your dad I was pregnant with you."

_Abby let out a deep sigh as she saw the results._

_Positive._

_Abby didn't know how to react. She and Tim had talked about having kids, but not marriage. She had hoped that this baby wasn't going to make them rush into things. _

_Before Abby could think of some way to tell him, she heard his footstep getting off the elevator. _

_She took in a deep breath and turned around._

"_Hey, Abs. We finished the case early, wanna grab something to eat?" he asked grabbing her coat off the coat hanger._

"_Sure." she uneasily as he draped the coat around her. He snuck his hand inside hers and started to guide her towards the door._

"_Wait." She stopped him. "I-I need to tell you something." She said heading back into the lab._

"_What is it?" he asked worryingly._

_She had thought of a million witty ways to tell him this, but now that it was actually happening. She just had to tell him._

"_Abby, honey. You can tell me." he said, looking into her eyes._

"_Tim, I'm pregnant." she finally whispered._

_Tim's eyes grew wide. "Pregnant?" he paused "L-like with a baby?"_

"_No, Tim, a unicorn. Yes a baby." she couldn't resist a giggle._

"_This is…great! Unexpected, yea. But still." He said with a genuine smile._

"_You're okay with this?" she asked in an attempt to reassure herself he wasn't lying._

"_Yea. I mean, Abby, I love you, so much. And the thought of having a baby together…this is amazing Abby." he said gently placing his lips on hers._

"And this is also where your dad kinda proposed to me."

"Kinda?" Katie asked confused.

"Sorta."

"_We're in!" Abby said in relief, dramatically crash landing in her chair._

"_Finally." Tim muttered, stretching his fingers that ached from all that typing. "Now let's see what Wilson was hiding." he said, placing a hand on the mouse. _

"_No! No, no." Abby whined, shaking her head. "Let's rest." she rubbing a hand lovingly on her 5 month old baby bump. She reached out for McGee's hand and pulled him down to the chair next to her._

Abby closed her eyes and rested her head on McGee's shoulder, who leaned _his head on the crown of hers. _

_After a few minutes of resting, Abby was stirred out of her light slumber when she felt the pressure on her head lighten._

"_Abby?" McGee whispered into her hair._

"_Mhmm?" she answered, not wanting to move from her comfortable place on his shoulder._

"_Abs, I wanna give you something." he said, trying to sound excited to hide his nervous tone._

_Abby's head shot up. "A present?" she asked excitedly_

"_Kinda." he smiled. Tim reached into the pocket of his sports jacket to reveal a small velvet box._

"_Tim…" she whispered in shock._

"_It's not what you think." he assured, opening the box to revel a small diamond ring placed on a gold band. _

_He read her confused expression and started to explain. "It's a promise ring. I know that you don't wanna get married yet, so it's for when you do. To tell you that I'm ready when you are." _

"_Tim…it's, it's beautiful." her eyes started to glisten with tears. "I-I love it." she said, wiping away a few stray tears. "I love you. God, I can't believe I'm crying." She said trying to laugh it off. "Probably just the hormones, but Tim." she took the ring from him and gently placed it on her finger. "One day…"_

"Yea, your dad and I spent a lot of time down here, even after you were born. You actually learned how to walk in the lab."

"_Come on, Katie, that's it." McGee cooed as his daughter wobbled out of her mother's arms and started towards his._

_Abby let out a small chuckle as Katie plopped down on the ground on the first try. "It's ok." she said comfortingly to her daughter, picking her off the ground. "We'll try again. Ok, now just walk to daddy." she let go of Katie but kept her arms close, to make sure she didn't fall too hard._

_Abby watched in awe as Katie struggled to put one foot in front of the other, but eventually reached Tim's open arms. "Katie you did it!" she squealed as McGee lifted Katie in his arms and spun her around. "And on your second try too!" Abby placed a kiss to Katie's nose, and one to McGee's lips. _

"_Well with parents like us, it was inevitable." he chuckled._

"_Yea, we're awesome parents aren't we?" she said, giving Katie a high-five. Katie responded by slapping her mother's hand and bursting into giggles._

"But like I said, some bad stuff has happened here too. This is where I found out Kate died. And then when I found out about the explosion." Abby said, remembering the day that changed everything.

_Abby began pacing her lab, her arms wrapped around her stomach. She didn't know what it was, but her gut was telling her something wasn't right._

_What could be wrong?_

_Ziva and Gibbs were just going to search a suspect's house. They did that like 4 times a week._

_But it had been over 5 hours since she heard anything from anyone. She had called everyone and had gone up to the bullpen six times in the last two hours. Ducky hadn't the slightest clue either._

_Then, a sound. The ding of the elevator._

_Abby rushed to the doorway to find a tired looking Tony standing at the doorway. _

_The color immediately rushed from Abby's face as a tear threatened to escape her eye._

"_W-who?" she said the tear already streaming down her face._

"_Everyone's alive." Tony assured her, but that didn't stop the tears. _

_He put both of his hands on her shoulders. "Abby, everyone is alive." He repeated, wiping away the tear._

"_So then why do you look depressed?" she asked, her voice slightly cracking._

"_Gibbs," he began and she let in a short gasp. "His leg was too bad...they had to amputate."_

_Tony watched as her face twisted into pure shock. _

"_He just got outta surgery, he's fine. Abby, he's fine. And you know that even with one leg, he can lead a normal life."_

"_And Ziva?"_

"_A few cuts and bruises, a broken wrist, but she's fine."_

_Abby nodded, and let a silence linger in the room for a minute._

"_But he can't work." she stated, making it sound like a question._

_Tony let out a deep sigh, he was forced to face reality. "No, he can't."_

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**Ok, kind short but next chapter's gunna be better.**

**So please leave your reviews!**

**And I hope that no one is getting disinterested in the story, cause the review count hasn't been so hot. I just wanna make sure that no one is losing interest, and that it's still a good story.**

**Kaycoolbye:D **


	8. All My Regrets Are Nothing New

**Sorry, if this took a while but school is mean and I just made the golf team, yes the golf team, shut up Alicia! lol. Anyway, so I've been uber busy, but I like this chapter, and im sorry but, alas, I am going to torture you with a few more (maybe I'll be nice and just make it 1or 2 more un-tivaish chapters :P**

**But hey, c'est la vie! Now live with it!**

**Jk, I love you all *squgs*!**

**Oh! Did anyone see Jurisdiction! –squeals- the Tivaness at the end was absolutely amazing:D I watched that scene like 2938293 times!!**

**Disclaimer: Alak! I do not own NCIS**

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2031:Mexico

Ziva looked around the old shack; it had been a while since she had been down here. She used to come down here every now and then with the twins, but once Tony moved in Gibbs usually made the trip up to see her.

Gibbs emerged from the kitchen area with two large glasses of iced tea. A small limp was visible in his walk.

He put one of the glasses in front of Ziva and sat down.

"Haven't seen you in a while." he said, taking a long sip.

"Yes, it has been a while I suppose." she said casually, still looking out the window. For any sign of Tony perhaps?

Gibbs could tell she wasn't going to just open up. "Why you down here?"

The question caught Ziva by a bit of surprise. "I cannot just come down here for a visit without being questioned?" she said with traces of mock innocence.

"Ziver…" he said slightly glaring at her.

Ziva let out a small breath.

"It is time he knew."

Gibbs quirked an eyebrow. He knew what she was talking about; he just thought she had decided she was not going to tell him.

"Anna is being extremely stubborn about meeting him. She is definitely his daughter, no doubt in that." she thought out loud, causing Gibbs to let loose a small smirk. "And plus, I have not been fair. He deserves to know."

"A father deserves his children." was all he said, looking out the window.

"You are right." she said with an understanding sigh. "You know," she began, thinking out loud again. "I should have told him from the begging. Things would have been so much easier. Things may have been, different." she looked down into her lap, seemingly disappointed in herself.

"Regretful?" he asked, turning his attention to her.

She lifted her head up and looked at him with a solemn face.

"All my regrets are nothing new."

Gibbs nodded. The sound of tires on dirt and gravel turned his attention to the window. He caught sight of the blue Ford pickup coming towards the shack.

Ziva's attention was set on the driver.

Tony.

He didn't notice her, he couldn't even see her from where he was.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but nothing could stop the feeling in the pit of her stomach, her increasing heartbeat and the goosebumps forming on her arms.

Ziva watched as he casually got out of the car, a sack of laundry slung lazily over his shoulder. The sun reflected perfectly over his sunglasses as he walked towards the deck. She could hear the Frank Sinatra song he was half singing, half mumbling.

Her whole body tensed as the doorknob seemed to turn in slow motion.

Gibbs sat quietly on the couch, not knowing how his former senior field agent and present pain in the ass 'shackmate' was going to react.

With no warning the door swung open

"Oh Lucy! I'm h-" he stopped his cheesy Desi Arnaz impression when he caught sight of Ziva.

She could not see his eyes begin to widen behind the sunglasses. she could not feel all the blood rushing through his veins as he saw the woman he loved standing right in front of him. But she could see the small smile playing at his lips as he slowly took of his glasses.

His eyes soften as did the rest of his face.

She tried to hide the smile tugging at her lips as he set the sack of clothes down and stepped into the room.

Their eyes met, for what seemed like an eternity. Seeming to tell each other all the physical and mental changes that had taken place inside their whole being these last oh-to-many years.

"Ziva…" he began, surprised, but was caught with a lack for words, for feeling.

"Tony…" she finally let the smile that was playing tug-of-war with her lips lose.

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_-phoomf-_

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****sorry, it just felt so right, i had to add the phoomf**

**Short chapter I know, but it's a good one right?**

**Kay so leave a review:D**

**Please and thank you!**

**Oh, this is un-beta-ed, I found a beta and im gunna start using her for the next chapters but this one just seemed to flow out of my fingers so I had to put it up. Legit, this took me like 15 minutes. I don't know if that's good or bad…**

**Oh, and check out my other story, "Motherhood" it's pretty good:D**


	9. Who is Daddy?

**Hello peoples of fanfiction! Sorry for the kind of delay but I had like zero time to myself this past weekend, I was being a good Samaritan to mi amigos:D but, you guys are amazing so I decided to give you a new chapter.**

**But most of you are gunna hate me for not making this a Tiva confrontation chapter, I know, I know, but put your torches and pitchforks down and let me explain. In 2 weeks (technically 1 ½) is Easter vacation. And I wanna spend most of that doing the long awaited confrontation chapter(s).**

**I already have the next few chapters worked out and they are all flashbacks, but the confrontation is going to make a lot more sense with them.**

**And on the bright side, next chapter is going to be epic!:D I figured cause it's chapter10 and all that you guys deserved a good one! So its gunna be a flashback from the explosion to Ziva leaving. Its gunna be better than it sounds. And longer; I know what you're thinking, FINALLY! A LONG CHAPTER!! THERE IS A GOD! I MEAN WHO DOES THIS NATASHA CHICK THINK SHE IS WITH HER HALF-ASS CHAPTERS?!. Yea I know but I haven't had a lot of time to myself so I haven't been writing that much, but I have been thinking/planning….**

**Ok, well I don't want to sit here and ramble anymore, although most of you have probably already skipped down to the story but…whatever…**

**Oh! And thank you for all the amazing reviews:D each and every one of them made me smile:D**

**Now, on to the story…!**

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2014:Israel:David Residence

"Come on Tatelehs." Ziva called into the living room. "It is time for bed."

Anna and Avery let out a small sigh before getting off the couch and meeting their mom in the hallway.

"Avery, go put your pajamas on. I'll be right in." he nodded and headed into his room.

"Anna, let's get you tucked in." she smiled as she watched her daughter bounce into her bedroom and climb into her bed.

"Goodnight, me amore." Ziva said placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Night." Anna replied and then turned to the picture frame on her nightstand.

"Good Night, Daddy." she said to the picture of Tony.

Ziva forced a smile before turning off the lamp and heading to Avery's room.

Anna closed her eyes until her mom was out of Avery's room and in her office.

Once she was sure her mother was nowhere near, she turned on her lamp and grabbed the picture of her father.

She traced her small fingers over her father's face. And smiled at the goofy grin her father was giving the camera.

Anna was smart for a four year old, smarter than most kids her age. But one thing she knew very little about was her father. And it was the one thing she wished she knew everything about.

Her mother had told her a few things about him and they would always watch a movie on Tuesday nights, something her mother had told her that her and her father had done almost every Tuesday.

She knew his name was Tony and she knew he lived in America. She knew what he looked like from the multiple pictures she had of him. She knew that she got her light brown hair and emerald green eyes from him.

But when she asked her mom why he couldn't visit them or why they couldn't visit him, she had always told her that his job was too demanding and that it was _complicated_.

Complicated. She hated that word. That seemed to be the _only_ word in her mother's vocabulary.

Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, Anna began to tell the picture of her father about her day, like she did every night. She knew he couldn't hear her, but just talking to this picture made her feel like she had a father.

Maybe one day that feeling would become reality.

* * *

2016:Israel:Anna's Room

Anna sat at her desk, pen in hand and notebook on desk.

She had been thinking about starting this notebook ever since she had learned to write, but she had gotten a bit lazy.

But now, she was going to do it.

_Dad,_

_Today is Tuesday, July 22__nd__, 2016. Ima just got me this notebook, she said I should keep a diary like she did when she was younger, but I thought that this was a better idea. _

_So, now I'm going to start writing letters to you. Not to send, but ima says that one day we, me and Avery, will get to meet you. Then I can give you this notebook so you won't feel like you've missed too much of my life._

_Not much happened today. I went to school, came home, and played with Ethan, my best friend, for a little while. _

_Now, ima's calling me and Avery to the living room, where we have movie night._

_Ima says that you two used to have movie night every Tuesday and now, so do we. We're watching the __Bambi__. Ima says you like it. I hope it's good!_

_Well, I hope I get to meet you soon!_

_I know we've never met but, I love you._

_Love,_

_Anna _

Every night after that, before she went to bed, Anna wrote a small page on her day.

Eventually she wrote in the notebook all the time, and filled up dozens of notebooks.

She hoped that one day, he dad would get to read them.

* * *

2020: Israel:David Residence:Pool

"Ima! Watch this!" ten year old Avery shouted, jumping into the pool, splashing his mother and sister.

"Stop it!" Anna laughed. "You are gunna get my book all wet!"

"All you do is read!" Avery mock-complained.

"What is wrong with reading?" asked defensively.

"Nothing! Just, have some fun!" he said getting out of the pool and heading back to the opposite edge.

"Fun?" she questioned, getting up from the chair and walking towards him. "I will show you fun." she said, pushing him into the pool. "Now that was fun!" she laughed.

Avery went down, surprised, but immediately recovered, with a sly grin appearing on his face. "Very funny." he replied sarcastically. "Now, can you at least help me out?" he said innocently.

Anna rolled her eyes, but gave in. "Fine." she said, reaching her hand out.

Grabbing it, Avery immediately pulled her in with him, laughing as she came up for air with a shocked expression. "Eizel!" she shouted, splashing him.

"No, _that_ was fun." he laughed, earning a stern glare from her.

She grumbled a little and swam over to a floating tube, attempting to get onto it so she could sit comfortably.

Still laughing a bit, Avery got out of the pool, shaking his head like a dog in a mock attempt to dry off.

Ziva laughed at her son. "You look just like your father when you do that." she chuckled at a memory only she remembered.

"Enough!" Anna shouted.

Ziva looked at her in shock. And Anna shook her head, immediately regretting she had said anything.

"Sorry, it's just…" she floated over towards the edge. "You are always talking about dad. When are we going to meet him?"

Ziva stayed silent for a minute. She looked over at Avery, who had the same curious expression on his face as he sat down on the lounge chair next to her.

"It's-"

"Complicated," Avery finished. "Yea, we've heard. Ima, were ten years old now, we can understand."

Ziva sighed; they were getting too old, too fast.

"Look, I am just going to give you the short version; your father and I were partners for 6 years before anything happened. Gibbs had this rule about dating co-workers and when he left…so did his rules. So we both gave up our stubbornness and just…anyway your father was under a lot of pressure and the director was constantly breaking up the team then putting it back together, like we were his puzzle, and you're father was trying to balance his job and me. I-it just became too much. When your grandfather died and I was asked to take over, I accepted. I loved your father but, I hated seeing him so stressed out. So I left." she ended with a regretful sigh.

Anna and Avery stood there in disbelief. Never, never, had they heard that much about their father and mother's relationship. Heck, they didn't think they ever heard her say that much period.

"I know, you want to meet him. And one day you will, I promise. Your father and I just have to work some things out."

"Like what?" Avery asked, although he knew he was pushing her buttons slightly.

"Grown-up stuff." she said, trying to drop the subject. "Now, go! In the pool! Both of you! Get wet, do some laps! Story time is over." she chuckled, and watched as Avery ran into the pool while Anna sunk into the middle of the tube.

As her twins raced from one side of the pool to the next, Ziva leaned back in her lounge chair. She re-opened her book, _Black Beauty_, which Tony had given her for her birthday when they were just partners, and rubbed her fingers along the inside cover. Where Tony had written a simple _Happy Birthday! Love, Tony. _

Love. She couldn't get her mind off of that word.

She couldn't get her mind off of Tony.

* * *

**ok, so i just wanted to get this out. i assure you, it's important in the confrontation.**

**and the next chapter is what you should be excited for! it's gunna be epic! you're gunna learn so much:D**

**if anyone has any suggestions for anything that they wanna see in the next few chapters, just tell me. i can make this story as long as i want...so anything you wanna see...just tell me:D**

**but i PROMISE you the tiva confrontation is coming, and she will tell him! just please, please don't give up on me!!**

**these next few chapters are important, the're gunna reveal the reasons behind their actions and give you some more background.**

**like the whole "why did ziva leave?" there's actually a small surprise that i haven't mentioned as to why she left that she couldn't tell Anna and Avery....**

**ok, so review:D**


	10. How It Came To Be

**Hello! Ok, so some of you probably skipped this and went straight down to the story because I have told you this was going to be the epic chapter, don't worry, it is…**

**But for those of you that did not skip, I want to thank you for faithfully tuning in, well reading every chapter at least.**

**This is a big milestone for me considering this is my first story to reach 10 chapters, I know, I know, not a big deal for you hot-shot writers, but for moi, it is.**

**So this chapter is a fashback chapter, starting from the explosion and continuing till Ziva's departure. **

**I wanna dedicate this chapter to **_**chelsea1234**_** who has been faithfully reviewing every chapter (and is usually the first one to review:), and for that, I thank you!:D You get a probie snack, **_**from**_** Tony's desk:D**

**And I know that there are plenty of you that have reviewed almost every chapter, but Chelsea reviewed every chapter so…but don't worry I notice *cough, cough, **_**LunaZola**_**, cough, **_**Little Miss Bones Fanatic**_**, cough, cough* **

**Also wanna thank **_**bat-with-butterfly-wings**_**, who is amazing at life and was having a bad day. And **_**RedDragonForce1**_**, who came up with the idea and leaves me nice reviews:D ****. Thanks peoples:D**

**There are many other people I'm looking at, but I don't wanna make the author's note longer than the actual story.**

**Kay, well I'm not going to sit here and ramble on any longer…enjoy the epicness!**

* * *

May:2010

Guns raised, Ziva and Gibbs entered the house.

They stealthily weaved through the rooms, shouting a simple 'clear' every now and then.

"Looks as if we just missed him." Ziva noticing a half eaten sandwich on the table as Gibbs entered the kitchen.

Gibbs let out a slightly disappointed sigh before turning his head around, studying the room, something didn't feel right.

"Gibbs…" Ziva trailed off slightly. "Bomb." she mouthed when he turned to face her.

Following Ziva's eyes, he caught sight of two blocks of C4 wrapped in red and blue wires placed under the coffee table, only a few feet away from him.

Ziva inched closer, ready to disarm the bomb when she saw the small digital timer on the side.

3…

Gibbs pulled her by the arm away from the table.

2…

They turned around simultaneously and started for the door.

1…

Ziva made it out the front door, Gibbs right on her tail just entering the doorway.

0…

The initial shockwave sent both agents sailing through the front yard, Ziva landed with a thud on the hood of a car and slowly slipped off, too weak to catch herself before falling onto the grass.

Gibbs was not so lucky.

Ignoring the protest of her own wounds, Ziva slowly lifted her head, searching desperately for Gibbs. It was late afternoon and the setting sun was making the simple task, extremely difficult.

Then, she caught sight of his unconscious body, sprawled out on his stomach, a few feet away.

She tried desperately to lift herself off the floor, each time having an even stronger jolt of pain shoot up her arm.

Using her forearms, she crawled to Gibbs side and began to check for major injuries.

That's when she caught site of his foot, or lack of.

Ziva's eyes widened and her emotion twisted into pure shock.

Gibbs foot was missing and his leg, covered in blood and dirt, was in no better condition.

She slowly lifted herself up, wincing slightly at the pain in her arm and throbbing head. Taking off her jacket, she wrapped it around what was left of his leg to prevent any further bleeding.

She could hear the sounds of sirens getting closer as she continued to check for any other injuries, finding a few on herself as well.

She could feel footsteps coming towards her as she continued to check Gibbs' pulse, but she did not want to wake him knowing that the pain would be too much to bear and he would most likely go into shock.

"Ma'm?" a voice questioned. "What the hell happened? I heard an explosion an-.I-is he alright?" She turned her head to find a man standing behind her. "I just called for help." He helped her turn Gibbs over to his back, and she found he had a small gash on his chest.

"L-leg." She murmured, pointing to the silver fox's injury.

"Oh god…" he said shocked. "I-uh…um..I-I…" he began stammering. "I-I-I don-don't know what to do!" he shouted angrily at himself rubbing his hands across his face.

But Ziva could not worry about this man not having taken an emergency health care class. She had to make sure Gibbs stayed stable.

"Uh….here." he said taking off his jacket and handing it to her. "I-I think you should put that on your head."

She ignored his suggestion and used it to put pressure on the gash on his chest.

"Gibbs, don't." she whispered to his unconscious body.

The sirens grew even louder until Ziva's ears began ringing and her vision became distorted by the bright lights and mass of people running towards her.

The words, questions, and commands they said and yelled became a blur.

_"Ma'm are you alright?"_

_"What happened?"_

_"His leg, the man's leg!"_

_"Get the gurneys!"_

_"Check his pulse!"_

_"Ma'm, can you tell me your name?"_

_"Found two guns over here!"_

_"I don't give a damn about jurisdiction right now!"_

_"Engine 42 just arrived, sir."_

_"Well, tell them to hurry up, we need to check for any more bombs!"_

_"Ma'm your name? ...Ziva? Ok, ok. Good. Don't worry we're taking you to the hospital, just keep your breathing steady."_

_"Find out who owns this house!"_

_"Tell the bomb squad to do a quick check of the house!"_

_"Where the hell's Rick with my other gurney?"_

_"Here, put this on your head."_

_"I need the whole block cleared! Evacuate all the houses within a 75 yard perimeter!"_

_"Mark! They're feds!"_

_"The leg's too bad, their gunna have to amputate…"_

_"Feds?"_

_"Dammit! Where the hell's that gurney?"_

_"Yea, NCIS. Navy cops."_

_"Got the man in the ambulance, were taking him to the ER."_

_"Ok, ma'm can you move your legs?"_

_"Got names?"_

_"No, don't move your arm like that, it might be broken."_

_"I need that damn gurney now!"_

_"I.D.s are pretty torn up. Looks like Special Agents something, Jethro Gibbs and Ziva Da-something."_

_"All clear sir, there doesn't seem to be any other bombs."_

_"Finally, Rick! Get the girl on the gurney and to the ER. Hurry!"_

_"Call their supervisor! Tell 'em we're taking them to Bethesda."_

_"Ma'm, don't worry you're gunna be fine…yes, yes your friend's in the other ambulance, don't worry."_

_"Just lie down, just rest…"_

That was the only command she listened to.

* * *

November: 2010

"You delete that picture right now!" Ziva yelled at Tony, as they circled the inner bullpen like two cage fighters preparing for a match.

"No way! Payback's a-"

"You do realize that we are alone, there are not any witnesses?" she growled.

"You don't seriously expect me to believe that you are going to kill your superior? Because then McGoo would have take over and that would be a train wreck."

"Delete it!" she shouted, jumping on top of him and pinning him down.

"Gah!" he fell down hard and felt his arms being restrained to the floor by her hands as she straddled his waist.

But he still refused to give in, reaching his arm well above his head. Forcing her to lean across him, her face just inches from him, their chests touching, as she tried to reach for his phone.

Just then, a sly idea slid across her brain.

"You know, torture is not the _only_ way of extracting information." She said coolly, though still reaching for the phone.

"Oh really?" he asked in mock interest as he still kept the phone out of his reach.

"Yes, really" she said in her best sultry voice.

"Care to chat about this subject, at some other time? One where you're_ not_ choking me." he replied sarcastically, joking suffocation.

"No." she said before retreating from her struggle and gently placing her lips against his.

Surprised by the action, but not missing the opportunity to make out with possibly the most amazing woman he had ever met, he released his grip on the phone and began to deepen the kiss.

But before he had a chance she snatched the phone from his hand, reluctantly letting go of his lips, and jumped up, smiling victoriously.

"Ha! Delete!" she said proudly, throwing his phone on his desk and making her way towards her own, leaving a shocked Tony lying on his back in the middle of the bullpen.

"Did I miss something?" McGee asked confused as he entered the bullpen.

"No." Tony mumbled annoyingly as he got up and head towards the men's bathroom. "That was cold." He muttered, passing her desk.

"What happened?" McGee said, still standing dumbfounded in the bullpen entrance.

Ziva's face fell slightly as she watched Tony enter the bathroom. "Nothing." she replied, following him, leaving McGee still utterly confused.

_*Men's Bathroom*_

Ziva opened the door and found Tony standing in front of the mirror, straightening his thin tie.

He turned his eyes slightly towards her, just getting a glance through his peripheral vision as she walked around him and leaned against the counter.

She watched him whisk his hair in one direction for a moment before speaking.

"I am sorry." She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I should not have done that. I know how…sensitive you are." she said with a sly smile.

"Sensitive?" he shot her a questioning look.

"Yes. Ever since Jeanne I know that you have been looking for a real relationship. And it was wrong of me to tease you with such a _short_ kiss." she said sincerely, with a hint of flirtatiousness.

"And I want to make it up to you."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Really? And how would you do that?" he asked turning to face her.

"Movie night, tonight at my place. You can pick the movie." she smiled.

His eyes narrowed on hers. "And you're sure you won't try anything sneaky?"

"I'll try my best to behave. But no promises." she winked

He let loose a smile and nodded. "But we're watching a classic. Not one of those strange Bollywood movies you like."

Ziva let out a small chuckle and placed her palm gently on the side of his face, letting her finger move softly across his newly shaved cheek.

She sighed, was she really going to do this?

She moved closer, slowly and hesitantly. Before she could even process what she was doing, their lips were just millimeters from each other.

A chill ran through his spine as their noses brushed and their lips soon met, and a quick yet tender kiss was shared.

Ziva let go, not knowing why, and let her forehead rest against his, the tips of their noses just barely touching.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back, but failing. He was too irresistible.

Tony pulled her closer and gave her a much more passionate kiss as his fingers intertwined with her curls.

She was melting, having lost the battle of temptation. Letting her arms wander around his neck and broad shoulders and she returned the deepening of the kiss.

He found that she was struggling to reach him, for she had decided to not wear heels that day. He lifted her up and gently placed her down on the counter.

As she began to wrap her legs around his waist they were interrupted by a loud knock on the door, one that brought them both back to reality.

Ziva untangled her legs and let her arms free of Tony. And he stepped back a little, frustration stained his face.

"Tony!" the voice yelled from behind the door.

"Dammit, McGee what?"

"We got a hit on the Sanders. He's staying at the St. Mark's hotel downtown."

Tony let out a frustrated sigh as Ziva slipped off the counter, still a bit flushed and began to fix herself up a bit to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Ok, ok, we'll be right out. Just…get the car started and make sure that probie remembers to load her gun." He said, referring to the new agent they got a few weeks after Gibbs' retirement.

"Wait? We? Is Ziva in there?" he asked.

"Just…go, McNosey! We'll be right there." Tony yelled to him in frustration.

Ziva began to leave but was stopped by a gentle tug of her arm, knowing it was Tony she declined to any bodily harm.

She turned around to face him, still a bit embarrassed by their little 'session' not moments ago.

"We still on for tonight?" he said with a smile.

Ziva paused, momentarily forgetting about her promise. "Of course." she smiled back.

* * *

Early April: 2011

"Why this place?" Tony gave Ziva a questioning look.

"I like the food. And it's homily." She replied innocently.

"Homely, Ziva, it's homely. And I mean I could have taken you out somewhere real nice." he said, holding the door open for her.

"I know." she said, tightening her grip on his hand slightly. "All we have been doing is going to Italian restaurants. I thought we'd try something new for dinner." she replied sliding into a booth.

Actually she had brought him here because it was a family styled restaurant, the perfect place to tell him that she was pregnant. The restaurant was packed with kids and their parents, from small newborns in carriers to toddlers in highchairs and eight-year olds in booths close to their parents to teenagers being sat at the adult table for the first time.

"Well we could have gone somewhere less noisier." he complained as the kitchen staff crowded around a table of ten year olds and began singing the restaurant's version of Happy Birthday to them.

"Oh shush!" she laughed.

A loud piercing shriek was heard throughout the restaurant, followed by a beet-red faced father carrying his screaming and squirming son outside.

Ziva's face fell. _Great_, she thought sarcastically.

"See, that's why I'm glad were waiting."

Ziva's eyes shot and met Tony's. "For what?" she said, although she already knew the answer.

"For kids. I mean we should enjoy the time we have as…us. I thought we already agree, no kids for a while."

"Accidents happen." she muttered to herself as she subconsciously rubbed her stomach, but her words went unnoticed by two toddlers fighting over some crayons.

Ziva nodded. "Of course." She replied quietly, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

Now what?

* * *

Late April: 2011 

"Tony, we need to talk." Ziva said motioning to the elevator.

_There's no time like the present_.

"Yea?" he said, frustration still lingered on his face after having to let their only lead walk away, free of charges.

He killed the power and turned around to face her as she leaned against the back of the elevator, her arms crossed and her head down.

Ziva hesitated for a moment, her heart slowly crumbling inside.

"This morning Eli…passed away, heart attack." she said calmly, eyes on the floor.

His face fell as he went to put his hand on her shoulder. "Ziva, I-"

"That is not what I needed to tell you." she cut him off as his hand fell back to his side.

Ziva kept her eyes on the floor, not wanting to see his face when she told him. "I…I am taking over his position." she could sense his shock.

"You're kidding right?" he said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Ziva slowly shook her head. "No, I am leaving NCIS to become Director of Mossad."

"Ziva..." he found himself at a lack of words. He could believe he was doing this to her. "You can't even do that, you resigned!" he shouted, and she let him, she deserved it.

"No, my resignation never went through and my citizenship has been in delay ever since the explosion."

"But it's still your choice!" he yelled, unbelievingly.

"Yes, it is." She said quietly, forcing herself to hold back the tears.

"Then, then, why?"

Ziva finally looked up at him, reluctantly.

"You and I both know that…it-it's just not the same without Gibbs. We thought we could pull through like we did the first time, but…it's not the same. You are under so much pressure, especially with Vance constantly using us as his puzzle pieces…"

"You're leaving because I'm under a lot of pressure! I should be leaving cause I'm under a lot of pressure!"

"And you're not!" she pointed out. "That is what I love about you, your determination! You never give up without a fight. That is why I know you will not let me leave without a fight." she said, slightly closing the space between them.

"But, I am urging you to." she pleaded. "I need something in my life to be constant. I have been assigned to two different teams in the last 5 months! I need to stay in one place." she confessed.

He inched towards her slightly, his face still hard. "So that's it? You're just gunna leave me your friends and drop everything you have here to go to the place that gave you nothing."

There was a heavy silence.

"Mossad gave me everything. If I had not been involved with Mossad, I would have never come here and met you and have this life. I-"

"So, then take the 'present' it gave you and stay!" he interrupted, throwing his arms in the air in frustration.

Ziva let one, and only one, tear fall down her face.

"This is already hard for me Tony, please," she let one more fall. "please do not make this harder."

Tony stared at her in disbelief, contemplating whether he should keep yelling and shouting or fall to his knees and beg her to stay.

Tony shook his head and let out an amused noise. He turned around and turned the power back on.

"Thank you." He heard her whisper quietly.

The doors opened and he began to walk out, but stopped in the doorway, turning to face her. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, he hadn't a clue what to say to her. But she did.

Moving closer to him she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as he stood there, his face still cold and emotionless.

"I _am_ sorry." she said, not being able to hold anymore tears for the dam had broken.

"Yea, me too."

* * *

**Ok, so hope that was good. It was definitely the longest chapter I ever wrote, EVER!**

**And I really hope none of you are like "that's what she calls epic? Wtf?" cause this took me like 4 days to write and I'm not extremely sure about it but I re-wrote it like 3 times and spellchecked it like 17 million times, so im really hoping there's no mistakes.**

**Well, hoped you liked it and the next chapter will be up sooner.**

**It's called: Israeli Surprises**

**So, please review! I think that if everyone reviews, I can have 100 reviews in 10 chapters, now that would be epic, not to mention a lot of 0's and 1's:D**

**So please, if you read it, review it!:D **

**Hope it reached its potential! Cause I'm like freaking out right now! Gahh! I need to stop drinking so much Mt. Dew! **


	11. Isreali Surprises

**Hey, yea I know. You guys hate me. I'm sorry:P But blame the nice weather and my cousins constantly asking me to play "ninja" with them. Oh! and while you're blaming people, you can add 'inspiration' to that list, I don't know if anyone noticed, but I put like 6 new one-shots and drabbles up. **

**Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter, so you're welcome. It's a flashback, yes, yes I know but don't worry the Tiva confrontation is on its way.**

**This chapter's dedicated to **_**earanemith**_**, cause apparently we're gunna have a party after this chapter so, your all invited!:D to the pants party!(only funny if you ever saw anchorman). **

**Hint for next chapter: fans of Tiva and no conversations will enjoy the next chapter.:D**

**Loved the response that the last chapter got, I wasn't sure about it, but, you guys seemed to like it so:D**

_**flashbacks are in italics**_

**Kay, well next chapter time:**

* * *

March 2012:Israel 

"Maybe we shouldn't have come." Abby stated nervously. Her hold on McGee's arm tightened slightly as they weaved through the crowded airport.

"Abs, relax. She _invited_ us." McGee reassured her as they got outside. "Wow. Tel Aviv." he said amazed, staring at the land in front of him.

Abby's grip on him loosened and she rested her head lightly on his shoulder. "It's beautiful."

"Well, now you can cross this off you're bucket list." McGee said they started for the street to hail a taxi.

"Right! Almost forgot." she said excitingly, pulling a folded piece of paper out of her black cargo pants. McGee watched amusingly as she scribbled a line over some words and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"You carry your bucket list around with you?" he asked with a smile.

"You don't?" McGee let out a small chuckle, before finally getting a taxi's attention.

A few botched Hebrew directions and phrases later, they arrived at the gate of Ziva's rather large home.

After security checked them in and the housekeeper sent them up to Ziva's office, they reached the mahogany doors. McGee put up his fist to knock, but Abby stopped him.

"Wait, what it she changed her mind? What if she doesn't want to see us?" Abby whispered hastily.

"Then she would have told us. She left because Vance was tearing the team apart, that doesn't mean she doesn't still want to see us."

"Yea, but what about Tony?" she questioned, making him sigh in agreement. "She and Tony were together, they were happy. If she still wanted to be friends, why didn't she invite Tony?"

McGee gave her a hopeless look. "Look, Abs, she said she wanted to see _us_. She didn't specify who. Gibbs is, well Gibbs. You know how Ducky is about flying. And Tony's still cooling down from Jessica's whole episode last week."

"But it's been so long! I mean what if she's changed? What if she thinks we've changed? What if-" but Tim interrupted her worried words.

"Abs, you email her all the time. She's still Ziva and your still the same Abby." he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and he eyes drifted to the floor. "You two were and still are great friends. Sure, it's been a long time but I doubt anything's changed."

Abby opened her mouth to speak but Tim stopped her. "Come on, do you think she'd invite us all the way out here, pay for our first class tickets, and let us stay with her if she didn't like you anymore?" he raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. She shook her head and before he could protest, she wrapped her arms around him digging her head into his chest. "What would I do without you Tim." she said kindly, causing him to let lose a smile.

"And don't get all sore at her for leaving. She had her reasons and I doubt she invited us down here so that we could yell at her and plead her to come back." she nodded in agreement, Tim had already read her the riot act and he was just reminding her, being a good friend to both her and Ziva.

She unlatched herself from Tim and turned towards the door, watching carefully as Tim knocked a few times.

Abby could feel her heart beating a mile a minute as she saw the doorknob turn slowly. A smile that could be seen for miles spread across the goth's face as she saw her Israeli friend that she had not seen in almost a year."Ziva." she squeaked, trying to resist the urge to wrap her arms around her friend and never let go.

Ziva let loose a smile that almost matched Abby's, almost.

Abby knew that that it was time for her hug and wrapped her arms around her neck, not like the hug she gave after Somolia, or after the explosion, no, not a soft gentle hug afraid that she would have fallen apart with any more pressure, this was a genuine Abby hug. "God. We missed you."

"I missed you too." Ziva returned the hug, and it was getting harder for her to hold back some tears. Finally, Abby let go and Ziva allowed her arms to wrap around Tim's torso, exchanging friendly 'I missed you's with him, before inviting them in.

Abby's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect 'o' when she entered, having caught sight of the two babies sleeping in their carriers in the middle of her office. Tim's expression matched hers as he entered.

"Abby, Tim." she addressed them from behind. "Meet Anna and Avery."

"They're not your," Abby asked uneasily.

"Yes, they are."

Abby and Tim exchanged looks before looking back at the twins. They were speechless.

Ziva, seeing that they were still in a bit of shock, continued. "They are twins, 4 months." Still no response. "Anna is in the yellow, Avery, the green." Nothing, then, Abby spoke. "Looks like you're all settled." Ziva could sense the anger in her voice.

"Abby…"

"No, Ziva! H-how could you do this? To Tony! He loved you and what do you do? Leave with some half-ass explanation and have someone else's kids?!" her voice was filled with anger and rage as she moved closer to Ziva.

"Abby." Tim said a bit sternly.

"No, this, this is unacceptable! Sure, I guess if I tried I could see why you left. But to just not even call Tony or acknowledge that he still thinks about you every night and that he's barely sane right now! And then to just meet another guy just like that!? And then get pregnant? Ziva what's wrong with you." she tried to control her heavy breathing.

Tim stood behind Abby, his unknowing face moving from Ziva to Abby as the scientist and director stared into each other's eyes. But their concentration was interrupted by Anna stirring.

"They are his." she said calmly, walking towards the babies.

"What?" Abby shook her head in confusion. "Whose?"

"Tony's. They are Tony's kids." she explained, picking up Anna and laying her across her shoulder, patting her back gently and rocking up and down.

Tim mouth opened slightly more, if that was even possible. And Abby's cold expression morphed into a regretful one.

"Oh my god, Ziva, I-I-" she tried to apologize.

"No, you did not know. And I do not wish to be mad at you. I invited you here to see them. And..to catch up." Ziva's eyes wandered to Tim's who still did not know what to say.

"Would you like to hold her?" she asked kindly.

He came out of his trance and nodded hesitantly. She placed Ann in his arms, adjusting her and his arms just right so that they were both comfortable in the position.

"She looks a lot like him." he commented and happened to miss the smile coming from Abby as she watched him look down at the baby lovingly.

"Yes, Anna is her father. Avery is mine." she smiled picking up the boy and silently asked Abby if she'd want to hold him. Abby nodded and Ziva placed Avery in her arms.

"They're adorable." she commented quietly.

There was a comfortable silence in the room before Abby asked the question that she knew they were both dying to know.

"Does he know?"

Ziva looked down at the floor uncomfortably, but she had been prepared for all these questions. "No, he does not."

Tim looked at her, a bit shocked but he already knew that Tony had not known. "Are you going to tell him?"

Ziva let out a breath. "I do not think so."

Abby looked at her, hurt drawn on her face. Ziva curled her lips inward and nodded understandingly. "I am not going to make him drop everything he has for me."

"It's not just for you." Abby protested.

Ziva nodded again. "Yes, but…" she hesitated. "He does not even want kids." she finally blurted out.

Abby furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Wha-what do you-"

"He does not want kids. He told me the day I was going to tell him. He said that they were a nuisance and that he wanted it to just be us."

"I'm sure he didn't say exactly that." Tim insisted.

"He may has well have."

Another silence lingered in the room. "What about Gibbs? He knows?" Ziva nodded. "Actually, he left just last month."

_**November 2011**_

"_Gibbs." Ziva said surprisingly as her old boss entered her office._

"_Ziver.." he trailed off slightly. "What the hell?"_

"_I know, I know, but." she began, getting up from her chair, forgetting that she was nine months pregnant and he hadn't a clue that she and Tony had even broken Rule #12._

"_Oh God. You didn't?" he said rubbing a hand across his forhead. _

_It took her a minute to process what he was talking about but a small kick from inside her brought her back to reality. "Oh. Yes. I'm pregnant."_

"_Could've fooled me." he replied sarcastically. "Don't tell me it's Dinozzo's."_

_Ziva nodded. "They, they are Tony's. Twins, and I am 3 days past my due date." she put a hand on her stomach. Gibbs let out a frustrated sigh._

"_Where do I put my stuff?" he asked, with an eye roll._

_Ziva smiled, he was a marine, Semper Fi._

"He was here?" Abby asked in shock.

"Yes, why? Has he not been back up to America?"

"Once in October." she stated solemnly.

"But he only came for two days." he finished.

"Give him time. The doctors said he would be distant. Most amputees are." she tried to assure them.

"So no telling Tony?" Abby questioned putting a finger playfully to Avery's nose. "I think if you tell him, he'll be fine with it. They _are_ _his_ kids."

"No." she looked to McGee. "You even said it yourself, he is stressed out."

"Yea, but I doubt that telling him he's a father would-"

"No, it would make him even more stressed. And even if I told him then what? He moves to Israel and gives up everything he has? Or I move their and raise the kids with no job? He does not make enough money to support a family."

"You could get a job." Abby imputed.

"And what? Leave the twins with some stranger every day?" Ziva shook her head. "It is better this way."

McGee and Abby exchanged a look. Ziva made a good case. Maybe it _was _better this way.

* * *

**Hope you like it. I didn't think it was that bad. Next chapter will come sooner…I hope.**

**unbetaed, i'll try and get a proof read one out soon.**

**Review!**


	12. A Silent Reunion

**Hey, quicker update than usual. I think I like this chapter, but I haven't written it out or anything yet so…**

**Next Chapter Hint: it's called Lucky Thirteen; and McAbby fans will be VERY happy:D**

**Ok, so don't have much to say, which is rare for me. So like I said, it's a kinda sad chapter. Anyway, I'm not going to give too much away. And I'm thinking of rewriting some of the parts so if you get like a bunch of updates from me, sorry. Nothing will change I just wanna go back and fix some stuff.**

**Some things to remember for this chapter: Ducky's passed; Tony and Ziva haven't seen each other in 6 years, but haven't spoken in 13.**

**Disclaimer: I own…well, not NCIS.**

_**flashbacks in italics**_

* * *

October 2025

Death was in the air.

Ducky was in the casket.

His friends and family and relatives gathered in the slightly outdated decorated room in the funeral home, where the wake was being held.

It was a rainy Wednesday night in DC. And Tim, Abby, and Jimmy were just glad that this was the last day of the wake and that all they had to deal with was the funeral tomorrow. They were tired of mourning, they were tired. Ducky had passed silently and peacefully on Sunday, in his sleep and even though everyone had thought he would last as long as his mother, they had seen his memory start to slip and he began reminiscing about events that never happened. They knew his time was running out and finally, it had.

Tim and Abby McGee were sitting in the back. Abby rested her head against her husband's shoulder; it was the only rest she had gotten in the last three days. Eight year old Katie had fallen asleep on Special Agent Dwayne Wilson's lap. She was at the age where she understood that Ducky was not coming back but not why. And right now, much like her parents she just wanted to sleep.

Tony and Gibbs had arrived on Monday night. Tony was making small talk with Palmer, close to the casket and he could not help but steal a glance at Ducky every now and then.

Gibbs had left about an hour ago, heading for the airport to pick up Ziva. Anna and Avery had never met Ducky and had stayed in Israel; much to Anna's protest who still so desperately wanted to see her father.

Gibbs and Ziva entered the front door of the funeral home, giving a polite nod to Director Vance and his family as they left.

Abby caught sight of Ziva and practically jumped out of her seat and engulfed her friend in a hug. Ziva's eyes were filled with water, tears threatening to spill out.

She gave McGee a light peck on the cheek and a hug, trying to hold back her tears with a small smile.

She turned her head towards the casket, one look at Ducky's body made it harder for her to steady her breathing.

Then she caught sight of Tony.

Closing her eyes and shaking her head she contemplated whether or not she should talk to him or not. Then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

It was Gibbs.

He motioned his head towards Tony, who was still talking to Palmer and had not noticed Ziva come in. She gave him a protesting look that was soon brought down by his glare.

She let out a sigh and walked towards Tony and Palmer. As she put a hand to Palmer's shoulder, greeting him, Tony felt his heartbeat quicken; he had not seen her in 7 years.

The two former agents began an intense staring contest. Ziva had to use all her will power to hold back a smile.

Palmer sense what was going on and left the two to their game.

The concentration on one another rose, and the strong urge to say something, anything grew. Yet no words were uttered.

And then, the urge became too strong for either of them to resist.

Tony looped his arms under Ziva, taking in the scent of her shampoo as she nuzzled her head on his shoulder, her grip tightening slightly on his back.

Abby's hand slipped from Tim's as she hastily walked out into the lobby, desperate to see her little girl. When Tim realized where she was going, he followed her. He knew Abby wanted now more than ever to be a family, with Ducky's death and now Tony and Ziva's episode unfolding right In front of her. And he knew how hard it was for her to not tell Tony about his kids. After becoming a mother and her revelation about family, at times it became too much to bear.

When she got into the lobby she threw her arms around the sleeping Katie, who woke up immediately at her mother's touch. Abby lifted her from Dwayne's lap and sunk into the chair across from him as Dwayne thought it be best to go back inside. Tim found his wife; her arms wrapped tightly around his daughter, sitting on the highly cushioned chair, the tears she had been too tired to shed, coming out with no resistance.

He slowly sat down next to her, gently wrapping an arm around her before she sunk her head into his chest, feeling the comfort of the pressure of his head on hers.

Inside, tears had been shed by both Tony and Ziva as their grip on one another changed from a tightening support to a comfortable hold.

And then, they broke apart, their bodies still lingering dangerously close, smiling slightly at one another. A chill ran through her spine as Tony brushed his finger against her cheek, wiping away a few stray tears. She returned the gesture by gliding her sleek finger over his slight stubble to clear a tear from his face.

They both yearned to speak, to say something, anything. But no words escaped either of them. A million thoughts and potential phrases ran through their heads but nothing broke the silence barrier.

They continued their stares until the pain inside could no longer be bore

With a smile and a nod Ziva walked back towards Gibbs, leaving Tony in the front of the room, watching her leave. The hurt growing as the thought of her leaving, again. Not knowing when he was going to see her or under what circumstances was killing him slowly inside.

_**April 2011**_

_Tony sat at his desk, his head facing the elevator as he watched Ziva get inside, McGee on her left and a heartbroken Abby standing in the doorway, two matching streaks of mascara stained her face. _

_He watched as the elevators doors closed, as she gave him one last look; but this look was different, it was a look of love and sacrifice, and of comfort and hurt. _

_He hadn't known how to react. After they were together he thought for sure she would never leave, but this had definitely proven him wrong._

_The next time he'd see her or hear her voice he already missed would never be clear to him, but even Ziva leaving with hardly any explanation was nothing compared to what would happen 20 years later._

* * *

**Kay, hope you liked it, next one should be out soon.**

**Unbetated, sorry it's like 5 am and I wanted to get this out:D**

**Please, please review! I love to hear your input on the story so far and where you think this is going:D and if you have any other flashback suggestions please! I'd love to add more to this story!**

**Oh! and go to my page and check out my other stories, I just put like 6 new oneshots up:D**


	13. Lucky Thirteen

**Ok, so here's an update yay! I also just started a new story, called "Unexpected" and it's got a boat load of cliffhangers. So go check it out. And any of the other stories I may have put up. And remember to review.**

**Chapter 14 spoiler: idk what it's called yet but it goes back to the new MCRT.**

**So this chapter will make McAbby fans very happy. it's a short chapter, I know I'm sorry but…what are you going to do? Hate me? Naw, you can't hate me lol:D love you all!**

**Okay, well that's enough love for me, next chapter time:**

**Disclaimer: ncis does not own me, and I do not own ncis.**

**_flashbacks, thoughts, and exaggerated words are in italics_**

* * *

2031:McGee Residence

"How did you propose to mom?"

Tim head shot up from his desk computer at the question. He saw Katie standing in front of the mahogany desk, her eyes filled with question.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why do you want to know?" he questioned.

"Just…cause." she replied innocently.

Tim chuckled. "You're going to have to ask your mom. She made me do it." he said casually.

Katie shot him a look of confusion. "Mom made you…? You didn't want to?" she questioned.

"No." Tim shook his head. "I wanted to marry your mom the first time I met her. It was your mom who was headstrong on the no marriage thing."

"Hey!" Abby teased as she walked into the study. "Are you making fun of my ethics?" she jokingly questioned.

Tim let out a chuckled. "Of course not. I was just pointing out how much you _didn't _want to get married."

"I was younger than, more _ignorant_." she smiled.

"You said you would _never_ get married."

"And I've changed. I mean just look at me." she said spinning around. "I don't look like I did 15 years ago." speaking about her new casual attire of jeans and a tee shirt instead of platform boots and pigtails.

Tim chuckled again as Abby made her way behind him, kissing the top of his salt and pepper head then leaning her chin in his shoulder.

"You didn't answer my question." Katie pointed out. "How did you propose to mom?"

"I thought I already told you?" Abby questioned.

"Yea, but you said he sorta proposed. And you never really accepted that." she pointed out.

"The promise ring I gave you in the lab?" Tim asked, his eyes shifting towards Abby.

"Yea."

"But you never told her about the other one? The one that I still don't really get." he chuckled.

"It was sweet." Abby's lips parted to a smile.

"You practically made me!" McGee protested jokingly.

"Oh and what? You didn't want to?" she teased.

"No! I already told you, I wanted to ask you to marry me since the beginning. But I would have done it in a better…environment."

Katie looked at her parents confused. "Where did you ask her?" she asked slowly.

"In your bedroom." they answered in unison.

Katie let lose a confused smiled "You proposed in my bedroom?"

Tim and Abby shared a glance before recalling to their daughter the events of that night.

_**2017**_

"_Crap" Abby muttered after what sounded like glass shattering._

"_What happened?" Tim called from the living room where a sleeping Katie was sprawled out on his chest._

"_I'm fine, just…broke a mug." she replied frustrated, as she began to pick up some of the bigger pieces._

_McGee picked up his just barely one year old daughter and wandered to the kitchen. "Need any help?"_

"_No, I got it. Just, put her in bed. I'll be there in a sec." she said hastily._

_Tim nodded and headed into Katie's room. Usually both he and Abby put her to sleep together, it was like a tradition. And this was to be Tim's first time putting Katie down solo._

_She stayed asleep as he walked into her room, but when he lifted her head from his shoulder, she stirred a bit, making a few uncomfortable noises. _

_He cooed her a bit but she kept squirming, not wanting to be out of her father's embrace. _

_-_

_After finally cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, Abby headed towards Katie's room and was in awe by what she saw._

_Tim sat in the hardly used rocking chair, Katie on his shoulder. A barely audible lullaby was being sung gently into her ear._

_Abby leaned against the doorway, a soft smile tugging at her lips. She watched as Tim checked stopped his song briefly to check on Katie. Seeing that she was now asleep, he got up and placed her gently in her crib, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead._

_He turned around to find Abby staring at him kindly. _

"_Everything alright?" he asked, eyebrows raised._

"_Yea, just…peachy." she replied absently._

"_Ok…I'll be in bed, you gunna say goodnight?"_

"_Yea…" her eyes still stared admiralty at him. With another strange look and a nod, he walked passed her but she grabbed his hand making him turn back to face her._

"_Yes?" he asked a bit worried._

"_Here." she said, almost perkily, as she took off her ring and held it in front of him._

_His eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Abby…wh-what are you-"_

"_Ask me."_

_A confused expression crossed his face, making Abby giggle slightly. "Get down and. ask. me." she said, a slow smile crawling across her lips._

_His mask of confusion was now replaced with a shocked an excited expression. "Oh!" he said is realization. "Y-you sure?"_

"_Well, you won't know until you ask me." she chuckled._

_He let out a laugh before taking the ring from her and getting down on one knee. "Abigail Sciuto, will you," he paused and let out a breath. "Will you marry me?"_

_She smiled at him, her pearly whites exposed in the middle of her to rose red lips and slowly nodded before letting out a clear 'yes', tears already starting to form._

"_Really?" he asked uneasily, more to make sure that she was absolute positive._

_She laughed through her tears, nodding again. A huge smile drifted across Tim's face as he got up and lifted her off the ground momentarily before bringing his lips to hers._

"So like out of the blue, you just wanted to get married?"

"Like I said before, just wasn't into marriage. I thought it complicated things too much. And it was kinda your fault too." she joked to her daughter.

"My fault?!"

"Well, I didn't want to look all pregnant in my wedding dress!" Abby said with a smirk.

"But I was almost two when you guys got married!" she shot back.

Abby teasingly glared at her daughter, as Tim gave her a 'she has a point' look.

"Ok, ok. I just wasn't up to marriage. Until I saw your dad with you that night." she said, snuggling closer to Tim. "I mean, we were already a family, I just wanted to make things _official_." she smiled.

"You know what tomorrow is." Tim looked at his wife.

"No, I don't recall." she said in mock confusion.

"Thirteen years." he whispered. And with an eye roll, Katie left, seeing her parents getting a little _too_ romantic for her.

"My favorite number." she gave him a soft peck to the cheek.

"And 28 years." he pointed out.

She knitted her eyebrows in slight confusion. "Since what?" a smile playing at her lips.

"We've known each other 28 years." he explained.

"Wow." she said surprisingly.

"Yea, we've been through a lot."

"No. I just realized I'm getting like really old." she teased.

Tim shared a chuckled with his wife before giving her a small peck on the cheek.

_Tim and Abby sat on the leather couch of their new house. Abby sunk deeper into Tim's embrace as the 11 o'clock news took over the screen._

"_What if we turn out to be really sucky parents?" Abby asked worryingly._

_Tim let out a weak laugh. "Abs, stop worrying. We're going to be awesome parents." he smiled, rubbing his hand over her six month pregnant stomach._

"_What if the baby doesn't like me? What if I'm a terrible mother? Maybe you should just raise the baby and I could go join a-" her rambling was stopped when Tim placed his lips to her briefly._

"_Abs, please. Stop thinking that way. You're not going anywhere and neither am I." he assured her. _

_She looked up at him with a solemn face, but let a small smile escape the left side of her lips when she saw his kind expression._

"_I love you Tim." she said cooly, turning back to the TV and snuggling closer to him._

"_I love you too." he said kissing the back of her head. _

"Did you hear anything from Ziva? Or Tony?" he asked casually, as he went back to his files.

"Nothing." she sighed. "I can't believe she waited this long. I can't believe she didn't tell him from the beginning." she mused.

"Like she said, he was under a lot of stress, and he _was_. She did have a point. What were they going to do drop everything for the twins?"

**_October 2011_**

_Tim's head shot up at the sound of a phone ringing. Looking across him he noticed it was Tony's and, being alone in the bullpen, wandered to his desk and picked it up._

"_Special Agent McGee." he answered in an official tone._

"_McGee?" the voice asked in confusion._

"_Ziva?" he asked, recognizing the voice._

"_Yes, Shalom Tim." her voice became kinder._

"_Hey…How have you been?" he asked._

"_Well, very well. You? And everyone else?" _

"_Yea, we're all good, more stress than usual but…we're trying. And how's director working out for you?"_

"_Oh, it's fine. Is Tony there by any chance?" she asked casually._

"_Uh, no he's in interrogation."_

"_Oh, well how is he?" she asked, and he could feel her becoming more intrigued._

"_Um…could be better I guess. He's got the most stress out of all of us. Being team leader and all. Vance isn't helping to much either." he said after making sure his immediate vicinity was clear. "It just takes some time getting used to I guess."_

"_Yes." she replied absently. "Ok, well I need to go. But I hope things get better."_

"_Yea, you too. Do you want me to call you back?"_

_She hesitated. "No. No it is not a big deal. Thank you McGee. Shalom."_

"_Bye." he said, putting down the phone, a little worried with Ziva strange being._

"Yes! Tony would have done anything for his kids, you know that!" she protested.

"Yea, Abs, he probably would have-"

"He _definitely_ would have!" she shot back, now pacing in front of his desk.

Tim let out an exasperated sigh. "He _definitely would_ have. But…now he gets to."

Abby shook her head, lost in thought. "Now? Anna and Avery are 20 years old! Anna's getting married and Avery's becoming director of Mossad in a few years! He's missed half their lives!" her words became more passionate with every sentence. "She could have told him when he retired. What stress did he have then?"

"Abs-"

"And it's not like she was being selfish or anything! I mean if anything, having Tony would have helped her! And it would have made Tony's life a little complicated. But then again she was being selfish! Just because she was too scared to tell Tony should have cost Anna and Avery their father!" she turned to look at him, her breathing was slightly heavy and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

Tim waited for her to calm down a bit before speaking again. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"There's nothing you can do Abby. Ziva made her decision a long time ago. And that was _her_ decision."

"Why are you taking her side?" she accused.

"I'm not taking her side. I'm just…presenting an argument for her. You seem to be on Tony's side. I'm just trying to keep things balanced." he explained.

"Tony hardly has a side. 20 years have gone by and he doesn't know that he has two grown children! And everyone that he loves is lying to him! Tim, _we're_ lying to him!" she said angrily.

"We're not lying to him…we're just. Following rule #3." he said innocently.

She looked at him, shaking her head. "No! This shouldn't apply to the rules! These are his _kids_! What if I ran away and kept Katie from you?" she questioned.

Tim nodded, letting out an accepting sigh. "I-I don't know. I mean it's not like I knew about her and you kept her from me." he pointed out.

"Tim!" she said, trying to snap him back into reality, her reality at least. "I-I-I- can't b- no, I…I just can't! Look at what's happening! Tony and Ziva's problems are causing us to fight!" she said in disbelief.

Tim frowned slightly, twitching his nose in that 'eh' kind of expression. "We're not _fighting_, we having a discussion." he tried to steer this conversation away from fighting, he hated fighting with Abby.

Abby let out a sigh, letting him win this one. "Fine. But…_discussion_ over." she said with an eventual smile.

"Discussion over." he agreed as she gave him another smile before going back into the kitchen.

He glanced over at one of pictures on his desk, one of the team. At the Christmas party before the explosion. He couldn't believe that it was taken over 20 years ago. It seemed like just yesterday they were _all_ happy, healthy, and there were no secrets. No explosions.

Letting out a sigh Tim tried to relax back into his chair. _That discussion may be over, but there's going to be a whole lot more when Tony and Ziva get back._

* * *

**Kays, hope you liked it:D**

**Unbetaed but you guys deserved an update!**

**And btw, idk if anyone was wondering but Gibbs came to Ziva (the flashback of Israeli Surprises) because he learned she had resigned from NCIS, he didn't know she was pregnant or with Tony until he got there. And also in Israeli Surprises, when Ziva told Tim that he had even said Tony was under a lot of stress, that's what the phone call flashback was for.**

**Next chapter will be the last before the confrontation:D:D**

**And it's another combo of past and present.**

**I don't know what to call it yet but I'll try and get it up soon. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm juggling 3 stories right now. Not fun.**

**But I like this chapter, hope you did too:D**

**Same old deal, review! And any questions of (nice) suggestions, feel free to leave one:D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Then Why Are You Here?

**Ok, people, change of plans.**

**I know this was supposed to be a fic about the next MCRT, but I sat here for literally 15 minutes, with a blank page. I could not think of anything interesting! So, most of you will be happy to find out that I've decided to move the first part of the confrontation up to this chapter. Now, come on, I know all you fan girls are squealing inside. **

**So, part one of the confrontation begins here. Yay! But don't worry; you'll be seeing the new team very soon. So the next few chapter are going to be in Mexico, I don't really have it all planned out to an exact, but there will be at least 3 in Mexico. Tony and Ziva have a butt load of stuff to work out. **

**If you've forgot what was going on, refer to chapter 8.**

**Okay, so enough rambling, onto the story:**

**Disclaimer: ncis, ncis, my kingdom for ncis, which I don't own.**

* * *

Mexico:2031

The staring continued for a while. Tony's eyes narrowing on Ziva's, while she tried to hold back a few tears, and was doing a good job at it.

Their eyes never wandered from each other's. The eyes were fixated on the eyes, and nothing else. No up and down stolen glances from Ziva and no charming smiles from Tony.

Nothing. Just stares.

Gibbs had gotten off the couch, heading for the door, muttering an ignored 'siesta time' as he passed the two.

The whimsy door swung closed behind him and they were now alone. Tony took his eyes off her, lightly brushing passed her as he walked towards the fridge.

"Whadda you doing here?" he asked casually, although she could hear the slight anger in his tone. He took the pitcher of iced tea out and continued to open another cabinet for a glass.

"I probably deserved that." she said quietly to herself.

He looked up from pouring the iced tea and gave her a serious look. He let out a breath, prepared to say something, but went back to pouring his drink and putting the pitcher back.

"So…how have you been?" Ziva asked, after a few seconds.

Tony gave her another look; this time, he had something to say "You didn't come down here to catch up." he replied confidently, taking a sip from his glass.

"No, I did not." she admitted.

He put the glass down on the counter, and put both his hands on wood, leaning close to the opposite side of the counter, where she was wandering over to.

"So why you here? Miss me?" he gave her a smile that dripped with sarcasm, which left his face almost as quickly as it had come.

Now it was her turn for the looks. She gave him a stone hard one, not as long as his lasted though. "There are some things…we should, talk about."

"Talk?" he laughed sarcastically. "You wanna talk? You came over 7000 miles to…talk?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, something you were never very well at." she quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you came down here to tell me my faults?" he growled.

Ziva let out a breath, curling her lips inward before speaking "No. No, I did not." she said softly, eyes focus on the ground for a moment. "Can we just talk, _please_?" she almost sounded desperate.

Tony kept his eyes on her. Shaking his head slightly, he finally relaxed. "Fine, talk."

"Somewhere more private would be better." she said in a monotonous tone.

"Our closest neighbor is three miles from here, can't get any more private than this." he explained coldly.

"We can take the boat out." she pointed out.

"Shall I grab some champagne too?" he asked sarcastically.

"Tony!" she almost shouted, immediately regretting it, making his expression turn more cold. She let out a breath. "The boat?"

"Fine." she followed him as he walked outside.

They passed Gibbs, who had his baseball cap covering his face and his hands interlocked over his stomach. His prosthetic leg was under the hammock and there was a half full beer bottle next to it. Ziva thought he looked peaceful, sleeping. She stopped for a second, as Tony continued to the dock. Gibbs could feel her presence; he lifted up his cap slightly and gave her a look, then nodded. Ziva smiled, nodding back and headed towards Tony, who hadn't even noticed that she was no longer following him.

A few minutes later, the boat was out and anchored about a mile from shore. Tony jumped down from the wheel to where Ziva was sitting, looking out into the horizon.

"You wanted to talk?" he seemed to have cooled off a bit and took a seat across from her.

Ziva turned around at the sound of his voice. "Yes." she paused. "First, I wanted to say that I am sorry." she said quietly.

"For what?" he sounding exasperated.

"For many things." she said calmly. "For not giving you a proper explanation."

"You didn't love me." she looked at him in disbelief. "What's there to explain?" he finished coldly.

"You think I left because I did not love you!?" she practically shouted at him. "I left _because_ I loved you!"

"Oh! So you broke my heart because you loved me?" he mocked.

Ziva recoiled from his words, which pierced like a knife. She let one tear, only one, slip from her eye. "Get over yourself. I have." he said coldly.

She immediately flashed back to Somalia. Closing her eyes allowed her to push back most of the tears.

She swallowed before continuing. "I did not know…I hurt you so much." she admitted slowly.

Tony took a deep breath, trying to find something to say, he knew she was sincere.

"See, this was the problem. We never talked." she finally said.

He gave her a questioning look. "Our relationship was just like it had always been, but with sex!" she said angrily.

He glanced at the floor. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"I tried! Many times! You never wanted to talk, you never could talk, not without some irrelevant movie reference or bad imitation!" she cried angrily.

He was taken aback by her words but she continued. "To tell you the truth, I did not know _where_ our relationship was going! I wanted to move forward but you always seemed to want to keep it in park!"

There was a short pause as the stares continued. "So that's why you left?" he confirmed.

"There were _many_ reasons why I left." she let out a breath. "Yes, that was one reason I left." she admitted.

"Is that why you came here? To tell me why you left?" she shook he head in response.

"For a second chance?" he asked able to hide the hopefulness in his words.

"Honestly Tony, it has been so long…I am not sure I would be affected whether I leave here having made amends or not." she confessed.

Another pause lingered in the atmosphere for a few seconds as they both avoided each other's glances. Then, finally, Tony asked again.

"Then _why,_ are you here?"

Ziva let out a tired sigh, reaching into the pocket of her cargo pants. She pulled out a folded picture. Unfolding it in front of her, so that Tony could not see the image, she brushed her thumb over the twins smiling faces. It was an old picture, it was taken at their thirteenth birthday, but Ziva thought their smiles in the photo looked most like Tony's at that time.

"This, is the reason I came." she said softly, handing the photo to him.

"These your kids?" he asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

"No…ours. They are_ our_ kids."

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**So? Liked it? **

**Yea, see now I hope some of you see why I kept their relationship a little out there, it wasn't all cliché Tiva where they just spill their hearts out to each other, I mean, even how they started, it was with a make-out session. **

**And Tony's being an ass cause he's kinda still made at Ziva for leaving with no explanation.**

**Was it in character? How do you think Tony's going to react? Will they get back together? Or will they just stay the same and just be friends? Will Tony come back with her to America? Or will he stay in Mexico?**

**Review!**


	15. Pictures of Me, Pictures of You

**Ok, so sorry to disappoint, but were no longer in Mexico, at least not this chapter, but you guys shouldn't be too surprised, I mean besides the first three chapters, when have I put any of this story in order? But I pinky promise, the next chapter is definitely in Mexico! It's already half written but I like the chapter that comes after that better!**

**But, we are in the present, just in America. With the McGee's. But there's Tiva in this chapter, implied Tiva, subtle Tiva…just…just, read.**

**Oh! and I just added a small part to the first chapter, it's not important to the story but if you wanna read it then read it:D**

**Disclaimer: 5 more minutes! i'm having a good dream where i actually own ncis, ah! i'm never waking up!**

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2031:Abby's Lab

Katie McGee wandered off the elevator, balancing a large pizza box in her arms, headed for her mother's lab.

"I bought lunch!" she called out into the seemingly empty lab.

Abby emerged from the ballistics lab, taking off her headphones and goggles. "You're early." she said, glancing at the clock.

"Half day." Katie explained casually, placing the pizza box on the metal table as Abby grabbed some extra paper plates she left around her lab.

"You want me to call dad?" Katie asked, taking out her cell phone.

"He's got a meeting with SecNav."

"Oh. What about Palmer? Or Amanda?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Do you not like me?" Abby teased.

"No, it's just, I bought all this pizza and we're gunna have a lot left over…How about Carson, he'd like a good slice."

"They're in Alexandria on a case." Abby explained.

Katie let out a bored sigh. "Why don't you grab one of my science books I got back there? Don't you have a chem. project due in a few weeks?" Abby suggested.

Katie nodded and headed for the back, plopping the rest of the crust into her mouth as the second pair of doors hissed open. She bent down to eye the collection of books her mother had, that's when a big leather book caught her eye. She slowly pulled it out; she had never seen this book before. The front was empty, no pictures or fancy writing like most of her mother's scrapbooks.

She curiously opened the front cover to reveal a group picture consisting of her mom, dad, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, and Ducky. They were all dressed in Christmas colors and the date on the bottom read: 12.24.09. It looked like it was taken on the stairs leading to MTAC.

Gibbs sat in the middle of the crowd, his arm laid casually around Abby's shoulder; a small smile seemed to be leaving his lips as he looked at Tony and Ziva. Tony had one of Ziva's curls above his lip like a moustache as he made a funny face at the camera. Ziva's whole mouth was open into a smile as she watched Tony's expression. Katie had rarely seen her Aunt Ziva smile, let along that big. Ducky sat at Jethro's feet, his back leaning slightly on Tim's knee as he turned around, looking as if he was informing the silver fox of something. And last, she saw her mother and father. Abby had a small leaf of mistletoe hanging over Tim's head and she gave him a small peck on the cheek.

Katie had seen few pictures of the 'old team', as her mom put it, together, laughing and smiling.

She continued to flip through the photos; finding pictures as old as before her parents started dating to just a year ago, when he dad was promoted to Director.

She found a few pictures of Kate, the woman she was named after, and some of Jenny, where she got her middle name from.

Then there was one near the back, it wasn't even behind the plastic. It was just stuffed between a picture from her parents wedding and a picture of Anna and Avery when they were a few months old.

It was a few headshots of her Aunt Ziva and Uncle Tony. Katie could count on one hand the amount of pictures she had seen of them together. And usually it was an older picture and they were playful.

But this picture was different; very different. It wasn't even a picture, more as a few of them, one of those skinny collection of pictures you get from a photo booth.

In the first one, Ziva wasn't looking into the camera, instead, her head was nuzzled into Tony's chest and her chocolate brown eyes seemed to look down. Tony lips were pressed gently against her temple. It was a peaceful photo of the two.

The next one she was looking straight into the camera, a surprised, yet happy expression was forced on her face by Tony's playful kisses to her neck.

The last one was one of a kind. Katie, in her 14 going on 15 years of life, had never seen such a sight. Her Aunt and Uncle were actually kissing, each other, on the lips! Katie's eyes widened a bit at the slight. They both looked comfortable in the other's embrace, they looked in love.

No matter how hard she tried, Katie couldn't picture them together. She had grown up knowing they had once been on the same time, but she had rarely seen them together; and the times they were together, it was usually forced.

The fact that Ziva had kept Tony's kids from him was a surprise to her. She had always figured that Anna and Avery's father had died, knowing their family's involvement with Mossad and everything. But now knowing that her goofy Uncle Tony was the father of her favorite 'cousins', was something she wasn't sure she could get used to.

And now, Tony was going to find out. She didn't know how he was going to react; she didn't even know how she was reacting.

Katie continued for a couple pages but most of them she had already seen; there were a few baby photos of her, and some of a few kids with different members of the team.

Katie took the pictures of the kids and the ones of Tony and Ziva out and headed back to her mom.

"Find anything good?" Abby questioned, her mouth full of cheese.

"Yea, who are these kids?" she asked placing the photos down, but keeping the strip of Tony and Ziva in her hands.

Abby chuckled at the pictures. "Wow. These are old." she said picking up a photo of a younger boy with Tony. "That's Carson, when he was like 10."

"Carson? Are you serious? You knew him when he was younger?" Katie asked, seriously enthused.

"We had a case involving his dad. I don't even remember what it was about." she admitted with a laugh. "He was just like Tony, still is."

"And this would be?" she dropped a photo of a small boy, sitting in Gibbs' desk.

"That would be Tanner."

"Wow. He looks so young!" Katie exclaimed.

"Yea, he was like 6 at the time." Abby said, staring at the picture.

"So now I guess you're going to tell me this is Sandy." she handed her a picture of herself and a young girl.

"Yep. Now, _that_ was a long time ago." she chuckled.

"So you guys had a case with like _all_ of the agents here?" she asked with a smile.

"There are a lot of connections. Like Amanda, her mom used to date Palmer." Abby held back a smile.

Katie's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious? Isn't that a little awkward."

Abby shrugged a laugh, and watched her daughter's face grow a bit serious. "What about this?" she asked quietly, handing her mother the small strip of photos.

Abby's face fell as she held the photos in front of her. She closed her eyes, holding back a few tears. "This…was a long time ago." she said quickly, getting up and wandering to her computer, typing a few random keys.

"Were they really in love?" Katie asked hesitantly.

Abby gave a broken chuckle "You saw the pictures." she said biting her lip.

"Yea, but you knew them."

Abby stopped her typing and took in a deep breath. "Yea…" she sighed. "They were in love." she finished, barely audible.

"So why didn't she tell him?"

Abby shook her head. "Honestly Katie, I don't really know."

"But she loved him! And all these pictures, they seem so happy in them! And-" Katie protested.

"But they're just photos Katie!" Abby turned to her daughter, and her voice grew louder, and angrier. "They capture that one moment and then, that's it! They can't tell you _where_ the people in them are going to be are _what_ they're going to be like in the future! They're stupid photos! They don't mean anything!" Abby voice was now angrier than its usual tone.

Katie could see her mother's eyes start to fill with tears, as she solemnly nodded.

Abby realized she had been yelling and turned back around to her computer, a bit more calmer than before, but still typing random keys to calm her even more.

"So, why do you keep so many?" Katie asked quietly after a while.

"Sometimes those moments are better than the now."

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**Ok, so I actually don't really like this chapter too much, but hope you kinda did. I just wanted to get something with some Tiva past in it, but I promise the next part of the confrontation is on its way!**

**So review, tell me what you think, what to expect, anything that may be on your mind!**


	16. Rising Dust

**Yay! It's part two of the Tiva confrontation! Ok, so…yea, it's a good one. Sorry, I just got home from cleaning cobwebs out of a barn, so I'm kinda out of it. **

**So read, review and check out my other stories:D**

**sorry, bout all the false notifications, ff document manager spazzed out on me and kept downloading chapter 6 instead of 16.**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own a letter of NCIS, but if I did, I'd take the S, for samm…**

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Mexico:2031

Tony's head shot up from the photograph and met Ziva's solemn eyes for a moment. His focus then quickly made its way back to the photo.

"No…" he whispered to himself in disbelief.

"Tony, those are your children." Ziva stated, watching his expression closely.

"No." he said, a bit louder. "These kids can't be more than 14." he continued, eyes still glued to the picture.

"It is an _old_ photo." she explained quietly.

"Yea but…" he trailed off in his own words. "They would have to be at least…"

"They will be twenty one in December." Ziva continued to avoid eye contact.

Tony shook his head in disbelief as he studied the picture and started to see his features come out, more in the girl than the boy.

"You didn't…you never…" he tried to get a full sentence out, but was at loss for words. In an instant, he stopped and tightened his expression. Taking a breath, he came up with something. "Did you know you were pregnant when you left?" he asked slowly.

"No." she lied quietly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Shaking his head, he cleared all but a questioning expression from his face. "Just…why?"

"It was the only _rational_ thing to do."

His top had been blown. "Rational!?" he shouted, although he didn't know why. "You kept two kids, my kids, a secret from me for 20 years because it was _rational_!"

"You do not want to know their names, or how you have two?" she asked, hopeful that he'd get off topic.

"Twins. You said _their_ birthday is in December." he stated coldly and continued immediately. "Don't get me off topic; why did you wait 20 years to tell me this?" he was now out of his seat, standing in front of Ziva, talking down to her.

"Even if I had told you…" she began, slowly standing to meet his eyes, which narrowed on her. "Then what? I was already settled into Mossad. Was I supposed to come back, and for what? I would not be allowed back into NCIS. And you could not support me and two kids on your salary."

"I could have-" he began slowly and confidently, almost shouting. But she interrupted him.

"Could have what? Dropped _everything_ you had! Your life, job, friends?" she shouted, narrowing her focus on him. "I did this for _you_!"

"Don't make it seem like I put this on myself."

"I am not! I did this because-" she stopped herself with an inhale of her breath and a straight face.

"Because why?" he asked, motioning with his tone for her to continue.

"Because…I loved you." she finished, slowly and quietly. "I did love you, Tony. I told you every day, as did you to me."

Tony's angry expression dropped as he saw tears start to form in Ziva's chocolate brown eyes. Then realization came to his face. "Wait, you said you left because you loved me…" he re-narrowed his eyes on hers.

Her head shot up to meet his eyes; she subtly let out an expression of defeat. "You knew you were pregnant when you left." he continued confidently.

Ziva closed her eyes and sighed in defeat as she sat back down. "I was not completely sure." she confessed/lied slowly.

"No, you were sure." he said smugly. "That's what you were going to tell me at the restaurant, the one where the four year old threw up on me."

She sighed sadly at the memory. "20 years as an investigator has not changed you." she said with a hint of a smile, but he kept his cold questioning look. "And you said you did not want children." she tried to push some of the pressure off of her.

"I said I wasn't _ready_ for kids."

"You wanted to wait five years! I was pregnant then!" she reminded him. "At first it was the selfless thing to do."

"At first?" he questioned.

She paused, letting out a breath. "Eventually, when you retired, it became more…selfish. I was just…" she stopped herself, slowly turning her body away from Tony and towards land.

"Just what?" he asked slowly.

She turned back, and he could see the two wet streaks that stained her cheeks. Her eyes met his for a second, before she turned back around, leaning her head against the side of the boat.

Tony kept his focus on the back of her head, as she failed to turn back around. He opened his mouth, tempted to say something, but forced himself not to.

Shaking his head, he went to the back of the boat and unanchored. Standing at the wheel he drove the boat back to shore.

Ziva, feeling the movement of the boat, turned towards the wheel and looked at Tony, his back facing her. She was frustrated at herself for coming down here. She had gone 20 years without him, and she forced herself to believe she could last another 20.

Letting her hand linger overboard, she felt the smoothness of the water brushing against her fingertips. She remembered how much Anna had enjoyed the water, especially the beach, and was devastated when she realized there were only a few beaches close to D.C. Maybe Ziva could distract her daughter with stories of the beach. No, that wouldn't work, Anna was too smart for distractions and misleads.

Anna and Avery would be devastated when she came back without Tony, but what was she going to do? It was not her fault he did not want to see his children. Ok, maybe telling him 20 years after they were born was her fault but he could at least have the decency of meeting them, putting his problems with her aside for his children's sake.

Before she knew it, the boat was docked and Tony had passed her gruffly. She turned her head, watching him storm off. No, she wasn't leaving without trying _everything_ she could. Anna and Avery deserved that.

"Tony!" she called, standing up.

He stopped at the sound of her voice. Inhaling deeply, he turned around to face her.

"They want to meet you. That is why I came down here." he let her catch up to him.

"So, what, you just told them I existed. What was the story before? Daddy's dead? Daddy doesn't love you enough?" he sounded enraged.

She shook her head. "They know all about you, good things. I told them, you had to put away the bad guys, that you were busy."

"Oh, that's good. Daddy's too busy for you." he snorted sarcastically.

Ziva ignored his comment. "When they were old enough, I told them it was complicated between us. But Anna, your daughter, is getting married and-"

"Wait, my daughter is getting married?" he asked in disbelief. "You waited until you have to give her away to tell me!" he shouted.

"Look, I told you. I did not come down here for me! If it were up to me, I would not be here now!" she yelled back at him. "Anna wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. I kept her from you for 20 years." she quieted her tone.

"If _she's_ the one that wants to see me, then why are _you_ down here?" he asked coldly.

She recoiled at his words. Curling her lips inward, she turned her focus to the wooden deck floor. "I needed a vacation…" she lied, as he rolled his eyes, turned around and headed back towards the house.

Ziva hesitated, wanting so much to call his name and start over. To go back 20 years and notice the bomb before it was too late. Things would have been different. It was a thought she had been thinking about for twenty years, each time coming up with a different answer, a different scenario.

But this was the present, she had to deal with it, to deal with the choices she had made and was making. She could no longer linger on the past; it wasn't helping her, but making the situation worse.

She made her way past Gibbs, shaking her head as she passed, and headed straight for her room.

Sitting on the bed, she contemplated calling Abby, she contemplated running out of the house and catching the first plane out of here.

But, jetlag got the best of her. She layed her head down and soon fell fast asleep.

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**I don't know if you can count that as a cliffhanger or not but…**

**Don't worry, it gets nicer..i like the next chapter, and i know this chapter's gunna be a little controversial, but im open to all ur opinions:D**

**Review! Was it in character? I mean, it's been like 20 years and people changes…but you get the jist. **


	17. Letters To My Father

**Ok, umm…truth be told, I hated the last chapter, I did. And you can ask Paige, there was something wrong with me last night; I think I inhaled too much hay and horse crap that day.**

**So, I kind better chapter, sorry we're outta Me-he-co:( **

**Ok, so I haven't written this chapter yet, but I hope it good.**

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2031:Washington D.C.:Anna and Ethan's Condo

Anna sat comfortably on the couch, with Ethan still in class she had the whole afternoon to herself which was why a time like this was perfect.

She wandered to the bookshelf and pulled out a small marble notebook. Anna flipped through the pages until she found a blank one. Her search for a pen was a short one and she soon began to write.

_January 18, 2031_

_Dear Dad,_

_It's been a while. Things are pretty hectic what with the move and the wedding and everything. But I'm alone right now, Ethan's in classes, studying to become a doctor, I think I told you that before. _

_Well, yesterday Ima left for Mexico, to see you, to tell you that you have two kids. I haven't heard anything from her, but she called Abby to tell her she had landed. I really hope you don't go to hard on her and decided not to come…home? America? I don't know what you call it._

_I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I really want to finally meet you. I keep feeling like I'm missing something. _

_My middle name is Alona, which in Hebrew means strong as oak, and that is what I feel like. An oak tree, but a tree needs its roots. Without it's roots, a tree is nothing, it cannot grow. That is what I need, to grow. _

_But I'd understand why you wouldn't come. Ima said after telling you, you would probably need some thinking time. As long as I get to meet you, and really get know you, I'd be happy. And maybe you'd finally get to find out what it's like to have a daughter, and a son._

_I've been finding more and more pictures of you and hearing more and more things about you from Tim, Abby, and Palmer. Carson, Zach, and Sandy tell me some things but they didn't know you that well, although I've been quite intrigued with Carson, Abby told me he acts just like you. _

_I am not too nervous for the wedding, I love Ethan and I always have, he's been my best friend since we were young. I think I'm more nervous to meet you. I hope you like me, and I hope I remind you of yourself, Ima always says that I look like you. _

_A small part of me hopes you and Ima work out things, I've seen pictures and heard stories and I know you loved Ima and Ima loved you. It seems to me that what you two had was special. And you're never too old to love. _

_I'm terrified right now. I don't know why I just said that out of the…blue? I think that is right. I just want to meet you. Part of me wants to get it over with, but the other part wants to cherish every moment of it. _

_It's foolish of me to say all of this when I am not even sure if you will come or not. It is strange, I have never had a father before and I do not know what it will be like when I do. Will I have a fairy-tale ending? Or will I meet you and soon drift apart; after all, they say that family is the people that you have known you're entire life, the ones that will do anything for you. But I am sure that if Ima had told you, you would have been there. _

_But I cannot be mad at Ima; I guess both arguments are valid._

_Well, I hope to see you soon._

_Love, _

_Your daughter, Anna_

Anna put her pen down, her fingers sore from writing, she could not believe she had rambled throughout the entire letter, but that is what most of her letters looked like.

She had used the letters as more of a diary but had every intention of giving them to her father, if she ever met him.

A thought came to her mind and she headed for her closet. Rustling through the old boxes and folders she finally found the one she was looking for.

25 notebooks in the course of sixteen years. She had been writing in them since she was four. At first, it was a letter a day, that lasted a while, and soon it was just a few times a week, but with the growing need for her to find where she came from, she had been writing more and more.

She let her fingers trace over the pattern of the notebooks, all put in order, over and over again.

Picking on up, she flipped through it until a few words caught her eye.

_November 23, 2030_

_Dear Dad,_

_Wow. Today was crazy. Ethan proposed!_

_And I accepted. I cannot believe it! I cannot control my breathing right now and my heart is beating a mile a minute! Marriage! Me! And Ethan! Wow. This is…just amazing! _

_I have to stop writing write now, I am shaking!_

_-Anna_

She smiled at that one, remembering the day very clear.

_January 3, 2031_

_Dad,_

_I'm in America, for the first time in a long time. _

_I am beginning my first day at NCIS on Wednesday and I cannot wait. I toured the building, and saw the desk you sat at. It may seem a bit silly but, it was a lot for me, knowing that you had sat there just twelve years ago. And that that is where you and Ima had met and fallen in love. It was nice. _

_I also passed your old apartment. There was an open house, so I went in. I know you have not been there in twelve years but it made me feel closer to you. _

_Love, Anna_

She began breezing though the notebooks just catching a few lines here and there.

_Fourteen years and I still do not know my father! Ima can be terrible sometimes can she not?_

_Ethan kissed me for the first time, it was nice, he's really sweet._

_Ima is leaving for Aunt Abby and Uncle Tim's wedding, I cannot go, because you are going. Ima says it is not time for me to meet you._

_Gibbs came to visit, I love when he comes. He tells me lots of things about you._

_I finally did it! I told Ima I wanted you to be at my wedding, more specifically, walk me down the aisle. She said she'd think about it, but I made a pretty good argument, and told her it was time for you to know. _

Soon, she grew tiredfound herself struggling to keep her eyes open. Crawling into bed she longed for Ethan's arms around her. Then, something hit her.

Was this how Ima felt every night? Not having Tony near her.

Anna tried not to think too hard, tears were starting to form and she did not wish to cry right now.

Only an hour passed before she heard the door quietly open and Ethan's familiar footsteps penetrating the silence that lingered in their bedroom.

The tall, handsome, Israeli, caught sight of his half asleep fiancé and plopped onto the bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her neck. But instead of nuzzling closer like she usually did, she forced herself to keep the tears from falling.

She now knew what Ima had longed for all these years.

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**Okay, I didn't really know how to end it, but..**

**unbetaed, i'll fix it later.**

**Well, I gotta go to bed, I have a huge bio test tomorrow and need to go shleep:D**

**Review! **


	18. Underneath It All

**Ah! Hey, sorry haven't updated in a while and my last two updates **_**sucked**_**! Yes, I'll admit it, I hated them with all my heart but I felt really bad and just decided to put **_**something**_** up there.**

**And on an irrelevant (love that word, it makes me seem so smart) note; I made it so that every time I get a text I hear the **_**phommf**_** that comes after each scene! Ah! It completed my life and I text random people just to hear it!**

**Still loving the reviews!:D thank you so much guys for bearing with me through these last, not that great chapters!:D you guys are the best!**

**But this is a pretty good chapter, it's sweet. And I apologize for any OOCness.**

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Mexico:2031

For once, Ziva was actually getting a good night's sleep. Even though her jetlag was to blame, she was still sleeping, peacefully, and it was a good change for her.

But her peaceful slumber was interrupted by the sound of the wooden door casually opening. She shot up at the first creek, reached for her dresser, but found no gun or any other weapon.

Looking into the half darkness of her room to identify her intruder, she found that it was only Tony and relaxed back into her pillows.

"Come on!" he said enthusiastically, turning on her lamp. The sudden light made her cringe slightly.

"Tony?" she looked over at the clock on her dresser. "It is two in the morning! What are you doing?" she asked exhaustedly.

"Come on! Get up!" he said, almost childishly, lightly ruffling her sheets.

"Tony! Tony, stop! What are you doing?" she questioned as he tried to get her out of bed.

"I should be mad, right?" he asked, musing to himself. "I should be furious, and I have every right to be, right?"

Ziva nodded, still confused and half asleep. "Are you not?"

"No! That's the thing!" he said in disbelief.

Ziva expression softened as she slowly got out her bed, which Tony was pacing in front of. "You are not mad?" she asked softly.

He paused, looking at her with a slightly confused expression. "No." he said knitted his eyebrows, then looked away from her quickly. "Believe me, I'm trying!" he said in disbelief.

Now she was the one with the confused expression. Exhaling deeply, she looked to the floor as Tony rubbed his palm across his cheek and chin.

"I mean, I _should_ be mad! You hid my kids from me! And even before that, I_ tried_ to be mad at you! But…" he stopped, taking a breath. "I-I just…can't" he breathed.

A heavy silence lingered in the room for a few seconds before Tony remembered why he had come into her room in the first place. He opened the small closet and grabbed an oversized wool blanket. "Let's go." he said happily, walking out of the room.

When she didn't follow him, he stuck his head back into the room. "You coming?"

His words brought her out of her trance. "Coming where?"

"You wanted to talk. We're gunna talk."

Ziva's mouth opened slightly, she was still confused at his demeanor, but then again this _was_ Tony. Nodding, she followed him outside, down the deck, and onto the beach.

The sand felt cool on Ziva's bare feet as she stepped off the deck and watched Tony spread out the blanket.

"You are an odd man Tony." she laughed, shaking her head as she watched him pat down the sides of the blanket.

"Part of my charm." he said casually, not slipping his focus off the blanket.

When he was done, he caught a glimpse of her as she stood watching him in slight confusion. "You're wearing my shirt." he smirked at the oversized Ohio State tee-shirt she was had on.

She looked down and smiled. "I-I just grabbed the first thing in my drawer." she explained with a blush.

"Which was _my_ shirt?"

"What is this all about?" she asked tiredly.

He sat down, patting the empty space next to him. "Sit."

Letting lose a chuckle, she obliged. She sat closer to him than she needed. And watched as he lay down, looking up at the stars; she soon followed his actions.

It was a clear night, and the calming sound of the waves added to the serenity of the evening. There was another silence that lasted a few moments.

"You said her name was Anna?" he finally asked.

There was a pause before she answered. "Yes, Anna Alona David. And Avery Dominic."

"Avery." he whispered. "I've always liked that name."

"I know." she said softy.

"Tell me about them."

She turned her head to look at him, but he was still looking at the stars.

Taking a breath and looking back at the sky, she began. "They are twenty years old. Birthday, December 1, 2011." she spoke slowly and quietly. "Anna _looks_ a lot like you. But Avery _is_ a lot like you."

He smiled. "I can sit here all day and ramble on about them, but when…if you come back…I know Anna will want to tell you everything."

"But, she will not mind if I tell you a few _basic_ things." she smirked. "Anna, as I said before, is getting married." she watched him frown slightly.

"Ethan, his name is. He has been her best friend since they were little. His father is one of my most _trusted_ agents."

"He a lawyer?"

"No." she almost laughed.

She could sense his approvement. "He is in medical school."

There was another pause in their conversation. "And…" she let loose a chuckle.

"What?" he turned and smirked in anticipation.

"Anna is…the liaison officer of the MCRT at NCIS." she tried to hold back a laugh, but when she heard his chuckle, she let it loose.

"Her choice, she…she wanted to feel closer…to you." the mood grew tense.

But Ziva soon filled the silence with her words. "Avery is in Mossad, completely his choice. He is almost ready to become director."

"Of Mossad?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Yes you d-" she laughed, but stopped herself.

"You _what_?" he laughed, pushing her buttons.

Ziva bit her lip. "Nothing." she whispered.

"No!" he leaned up on his arm. "You! You were going to call me a _dork_!" he laughed.

"No…I was not" she denied, holding back a smile.

"Yes! You were." he chuckled, with a charming smile.

She hesitated. "Maybe." she smirked, with a sparkle in her eye.

He smiled, a smile she hadn't seen in years. Making her smile as well, even though she did not think it was the most appropriate time.

They both turned back to the sky. The uncountable amount of stars seemed to smile at them.

"Why?" he asked hoarsely after a few silent moments.

She turned her head towards him, and he turned his to her. "Why did you wait so long?"

Ziva took a few deep breaths before answering him. "I…I was…"

"Don't do this again." he said, bring her back to the boat.

She faced the stars again, making them her safety net. "Scared." she said, barely audible.

"You? Scared? Of what?" he asked in disbelief, almost chuckling.

Rolling her eyes, she answered hesitantly. "You." Ziva whispered. "Of what you would say, what you would do, think." she answered slowly.

He watched her as she kept her focus on the sky, and then looked up to see what was so intriguing to her.

"You…had this…way of making me feel…vulnerable, Tony." she mused quietly. "Not all the time, of course." she added with a smirk.

"Love does that sometimes I guess."

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose it does." Another silence lingered in the atmosphere. "I meant what I said, on the boat…Tony, I did love you." she struggled to keep the tears from falling.

"I love you too." he whispered.

Had she heard him right? Yes, he said _love_, not _loved_. Present, not past.

Letting a single tear make its way down the side of her face she continued.

"I _am_ truly sorry. For any pain I have put upon you." she admitted slowly, his expression tensing as she touched his shoulder.

For a few minutes the only sound was that of the waves and their steady breathing.

"Would you consider coming back to America…to meet Anna and Avery?" she asked hesitantly.

He thought for a small while. Then a devious smile crawled along his face. "Under one condition."

She faced him, he did the same. Raising an eyebrow, she implied that she was intrigued.

"_We_ give _us_, another chance."

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**So, did that make up for the two sucky chapters? I really hope so!**

**sure it was short, but hey! it was nice right?**

**Ok, so review! You know I love those things!**


	19. No Turning Back

**Sorry for the delay, real life has been getting in the way. Ha! That rhymes!**

**Don't have much to say, decided to be nice and put up another Mexico chapter but it's short and then I added some McAbby and another appearance from Avery and some of the MCRT. **

**I was kinda connecting this chapter with some of the other episodes we've seen and a few of Jibbs scenes, cause I think their relationship now is kinda like theirs(i.e.: haven't seen each other in six years, former lovers…) excluding the whole two secret love children.**

_**Flashbacks are in italics**_

**Disclaimer: I don't even own a smidge of NCIS.**

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Mexico:2031

Ziva quickly absorbed his words. Once stained into her cranium, she swiftly turned her head to meet Tony's gaze. Seeing the unbearably charming smile on his face, her eyes absently drifted to the left.

She opened her mouth, but no words penetrated their silence.

Tony's focus was fixated on his former lover's confused and shocked expression. He watched as her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated her words.

With a deep breath, Ziva finally recollected herself. "Tony," she began, looking into his deep green eyes. "I just told you that I have been keeping two grown children from you, and you want to get back together?" she asked slowly, confusion dripping from every word.

"I missed you Ziva."

"_I missed you Jen."_

"Tony, you should be _angry_ at me!" she seemed to be scolding herself. "You should be contemplating whether you're going to see your children or not! That last thought on your mind should be me! You should not be this…happy!" she said dumbfounded, and soon coming short for adjectives.

Tony shrugged. And Ziva scoffed inside. He just shrugged, as if this was no big deal. Then a few intense words spoken in Somalia rushed back to her:

_"__I'm the wildcard. I'm the guy who looks at the reality in front of him and refuses to accept it."_

"My point exactly, Ziva. But, I can't…" he whispered.

There were still traces of confusion plastered on Ziva's expression as Tony still kept his focus on her.

Ziva lifted her head up, supporting her body weight on the back of her arms. "Tony," she looked at him solemnly. "Will you please just see your children." she offered, desperate to change the subject.

His face dropped at her words, but after a deep breath, his eyes caught hers. "Where are they?" he asked quietly.

"In Washington…waiting." she replied slowly.

"Ok." he breathed, getting up.

"You will see them?" she asked, slightly eager.

He exhaled tiredly, running a hand through his hair. "They're my kids." he said, turning and heading towards the deck stairs.

Ziva could feel the disappointment as he made his way up the stairs. His head hung lower than usual as he slowly opened the screen door, but stopped at the sound of her voice calling his name.

"Tony!" she called as he turned around. Her body suddenly tensed at the sight of his broken expression. She soon found herself at a loss for words and barely mustered a small "good night" solemnly before he nodded and turned back to the house.

_"No. It is I who am sorry" she said solemnly before cupping his face in her hands and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek as he kept his expression cold._

She slowly turned back around, facing the ocean, and laid her head back on the blanket. Looking up at the stars one last time before she fell asleep, she blinked back a few tears wondering what fate had in store for her next.

* * *

McGee Residence:2031(Next Day)

"Caitlin Jennifer McGee! Get your butt down here now!" Abby called up the stairs to her daughter.

"Has anyone see my other shoe?" she replied hastily as she paced around her room.

"Put on another pair, we need to get to the airport now!" she yelled again, rushing to put on her jacket when the front door opened.

"Where are you off to?" Tim asked his wife curiously as he entered.

"You mean where are _we_ off to." she corrected, looping her arm in his and leading him, backwards, to the front door. "_We_ are picking up Avery at the airport." she informed him, opening the door. "Katie! We're leaving without you!" Abby called one last time, before shutting the door behind her.

She continued to lead Tim down the stairs, and Tim was careful not to stumble backwards because of the position he was being held in.

Abby playfully pinned her husband against the car, jingling the keys in front of his face for a moment before giving him a small peck on the cheek. "Let's roll." she smiled, letting go of him and traveling around the car to the passenger's side.

As Mr. and Mrs. McGee buckled their seatbelts, their daughter practically crashed through the front door in an effort to open it. She recollected herself and casually waltzed down the porch stairs and into the back seat.

"Wait, I thought Avery was only coming if…" he stopped himself as realization crossed his face. "Tony's coming?"

"Good connection." Abby teased. "Just got the call from Ziva this morning. She, Tony, _and Gibbs_ will be landing in a few hours." she beamed.

And with a smile Tim started the car and headed for the airport.

* * *

Airport

"Avery!" Abby embraced her 'nephew' in a hug. After letting go she looked him up and down. "Oh, god. I haven't seen you in months." she smiled.

"Good to see you too Aunt Abby." his Israeli accent replied."Uncle Tim, Shalom." he greeted Tim.

"Shalom Avery. Op. was a success." Tim congratulated. "You managed to keep the agency intact."

Avery nodded as he looked around confused. "Where is Katie?" he chuckled.

Abby looked around shocked in search of her daughter. And soon spotted her chatting up with a barista at the small coffee shop. Rolling her eyes, she jogged over to her daughter.

"Diana, look. I say find another guy. If Fred's not going to respect you, it's not worth it." Katie offered the woman behind the counter as she handed her a styrofoam cup.

"You know what? You're right." the woman said enthusiastically.

"I know I am. I'm telling you, dump his ass and kick him to the curb." she advised, clicking her cup with the woman's.

"Katie…what are you doing?" Abby asked, putting her hand to her daughter's shoulder.

"Diana's boyfriend is being too possessive an-"

"What have I told you about wandering off?" her mother interrupted.

"Oh, no. Believe me, it's no big deal. Is she your daughter?" the woman behind the counter asked politely.

"Yes." she answered, forcing a smile at both Katie and the woman.

"Well, she was a wonderful help. Thank you so much Katie."

Abby looked at the woman blankly. "Well, I'm glad she was _useful_." she turned to her daughter. "But Avery is waiting for you."

Katie nodded, turning back to the woman. "Remember what I said. And email me if you need anything else." she called, as Abby began tugging her off the chair.

Once they were out of earshot, Abby leaned slightly towards her daughter. "What was that all about?" she whispered.

"She looked bummed out. I was just helping." Katie replied innocently.

"You gave her your email?" she asked in disbelief.

Katie shrugged. "It's not like I gave her my address." she answered nonchalantly.

Abby walked over to her husband who gave her a strange look. "What was that all about?"

"She was helping some woman with guy problems." she answered in disbelief.

"She's friendly." McGee defended. "And you have no one to blame but yourself. She _is your_ daughter." he teased.

Abby shook her head as she watched her daughter run off to Avery, giving him a hug as he commented on how much she had grown and handed her a small box.

"What's this?" Katie asked as she traced her finger over the lace bow.

"Open it." Avery smiled in anticipation.

Tim put his arm around his wife's waist as he watched Katie open the box. She gasped at the sight of the simple yet exquisite single black pearl necklace. "Avery, it's beautiful!" she breathed, taking it out for her parents to see. "Where'd you get this?" she asked excitedly as she hooked the latch behind her neck.

"Morocco. It is a natural black pearl. No dyes or anything." he smiled as Katie inspected the look of it around her neck.

"I love it!" she complimented with a huge smile, giving him another hug. "Thank you so much!" Katie said sweetly.

"Come on, car's in the north wing." Tim said, grabbing one of Avery's duffle bags.

Abby turned to Avery, letting Tim and Katie start without them. "You're mom told you?" she asked him quietly.

Avery nodded. "And you sure you're ready?" she questioned.

"Not as ready as Anna." he paused, reassuring himself. "But I feel it is necessary."

* * *

NCIS:2031

Anna sat at her desk, absently tapping her pen on the edge of her keyboard. The only other agent in the bullpen was Sandy, but she just sat blankly across the bullpen.

Anna had just gotten a call from her mother. Her father had agreed to come. The conversation was short and Anna was agitated beyond belief at the thought of her _father_ being only a few hours from here.

A thought crossed her mind and she rummaged through her drawer for something for a few moments until she found it. Smiling, she took out the photo her mother had given her a few weeks ago.

She looked down at the date. _May 4, 2010_. It was a great picture of her dad. She had always kept it in her desk, but hardly ever took it out.

Rubbing her finger over the smooth picture, she watched as her features began to show in the man who seemed to be staring back at her. His green eyes and smooth jaw line, his perfect nose and light brown hair.

Anna contemplated asking Sandy about her father, and what is was like to have one. Sandy usually kept quiet, except in interrogation, and she didn't know very much about Sandy's family. The two were kind of close, they had lunch together most of the time, but they were usually accompanied by Carson.

Then, Anna remembered that Carson had once mentioned Sandy's father was in jail. He didn't say what for but he had a 30 year sentence so it probably wasn't anything good.

Just then, Anna heard a _bing_. Her head shot up from the picture and looked to the elevator subconsciously. A small smile tugged at her lips as she saw her brother emerge from the elevator.

Her mother, her brother, and now her father were going to be here. Now maybe, just maybe, they could be a family.

* * *

Somewhere over Florida

Tony sat comfortably in his seat next to Ziva on the plane. He could feel her glances, mixed in with the worrying stares of Gibbs from across the aisle. He soon felt a slight pressure on his shoulder and turned to see what it was.

Ziva. It was Ziva. Staring at him kindly, her hand draped on his shoulder.

Her expression was one he had not seen in a long time; one of love and compassion. It was a comforting face to see on her.

_"That you had my back. That you have always had my back"_

She said nothing, just smiled. But he knew her intentions. He nodded knowingly and turned back to the window, sad to feel her hand fall back to her side.

He stared at the picture he had been looking at all last night. The one of Anna and Avery when they were fourteen. He had two kids, two grown kids.

Tony looked back out the window, they were almost over Florida and it was just a few more hours to Washington.

There was no turning back now.

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**So? Good chapter? It's a long one, one of my longest so far.**

**Props to anyone who knew where the picture of Tony was taken, you are a true fangirl/guy (I don't judge:D)**

**Review!**


	20. Maybe, We Can Have Our Finally

**Whoa! People, hey there! Uberly sorry for the delayment. I actually have a life and usually like to embrace it…naw, I just had a buttload of homework this week!**

**Anyways, I won't delay any longer because this is the chapter we've all been waiting for! Even I'm exited! And I wrote the damn thing!**

**But, I **_**do**_** wanna give a shout out to some chick named "Jackie"! Unfortunately, you left me an anonymous review so I couldn't personally thank you and tell you how much you made my day! No, seriously you did! And then I read it the next day and you made that day too! I couldn't stop smiling for like, three hours, which, for me, is like a record:D So thankx again, love!**

**Disclaimer: Never….**

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Airport:2031

Tony looked around, taking in the scent of America. The crowds bustled around the trio as they walked straight through the sea of people and outside.

He squinted slightly as he adjusted to the sunlight before looking around at the DC skyline. Gibbs limped towards the streets, waiting for the car Tim had sent. Tony finally found the driver, called for Gibbs, and headed towards the shiny black car, feeling Ziva lingering comfortably close.

The ride was quite, no one said a word. Gibbs could feel the tension rising between his two former agents every mile they got closer to the navy yard. He didn't have to look back to know that Ziva was glancing over at Tony every few minutes, she was not even trying to hide it.

They were soon outside of the navy yard and past security. Tony took a deep breath as he entered the building that was so familiar, yet so strange to him.

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NCIS:Bullpen:2031

Anna sat in her chair, bouncing nervously on her toes. Looking absently at the floor, she nibbled at her fingernails as Avery balanced himself on the side of her desk. She desperately wanted Ethan here to comfort her.

"Nervous much?" Sandy asked from her desk, blankly looking ahead.

The sound of Sandy's voice brought her out of her trance. She looked up at Sandy and bit her inner lip. "Yes." she breathed.

"Why are you so nervous?" Avery sighed.

"Why are you _not_?" she accused, turning to him. "This is our father! Ima loved him and I am sure he loved Ima."

"If Ima really loved him, she would have told him about us long ago." he stated coldly, his eyes narrowing on hers.

"You know just as well as I do, Ima had her reasons for not telling him. I am sur-" she raged.

"_It's complicated_ is not a reason!" he shot harshly.

Anna paused, looking at her brother in shock. Shaking her head, she continued. "Avery, this is not just some man." she said sternly, slowly getting up from her chair to meet his eyes. "This is the man Ima fell in love with. The one that sat across from her every day for _seven _years. Her partner, her love, our _father_! He gave you half of your being!" she cried at him in disbelief that he was acting this way.

"Anna," he sighed. "What do you think is going to happen? They are going to fall back in love and we can be a normal family?" his eyes emptied and her face dropped. "We haven't known our father for twenty years. We've gone past a being normal family."

She stared into her brother's eyes for another minute, her breathing getting heavier. "You know what is going to happen?" he questioned coldly. "Anthony Dinozzo is going to walk in here and we will be "reunited" with our genetic father. He is going to walk you down the aisle and you will have your fairy-tale wedding. But then, in a few weeks, all of this is going to die down. You will go back to work, Ima and I will go back to Israel and Tony will go back to Mexico with Gibbs. Maybe will see him once or twice a year, but…._nothing_ is going to change."

Anna's eyes fell to the floor as she slowly sat in her seat. She inhaled deeply, letting her brother's words sink into her mind. "You are wrong." she whispered slowly, careful to not let her tears fall.

Avery turned from his sister, crossing his arms as he watched the elevator. And deep inside, they both wondered which one of them was right.

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NCIS:Lobby:2031

Tony took another deep breath as he walked towards the elevator. He had done this so many times before, but never under these circumstances. This one button, that he used to press every day, never thinking about it, was about to bring him to the biggest surprise in his life, _so far_. He was about to meet his children.

His children. His twins. His daughter. His son.

Never in his life had his heart beat this fast, had his breathing been so heavy. He finally lifted up his hand and slowly pushed the button, watching it light up immediately.

He started at the metals doors, anxious, excited, and nervous in anticipation for them to open. They slid open slowly but surely. And he took another deep breath, feeling like a tie was tightening around his shirt even with his lose fitting shirt on.

Tony felt as if his feet were cemented to the floor, he couldn't move, he needed a push. Ziva immediately sensed his distress and without another glance she reached out her hand, wrapping it lovingly around his.

Tony immediately felt something rush up his body. A sensation he hadn't felt in some time. A touch of love and kindness, a gentle and comforting feeling.

He looked back, his eyes immediately catching Ziva's. She offered him a gentle smile, slightly tightening her hand around his until he let their fingers intertwine.

The cement broke, his tie loosened; he took on last deep breath before stepping into the gray and silver, memory holding box, memories for both of them.

"_I'm tired of pretending."_

"_So am I."_

"_Was any of it real?"_

"_No."_

"_It was no secret he was writing about us."_

"_Just another day at the office."_

"_Do you see this? Nine hours, 21 minutes!" _

"_Has it been that long?"_

"_Then how am I supposed to-"_

"_My__ job is to teach them to you!"_

The elevator stopped and the doors soon opened. To Tony, they seemed to be opening in slow motion. To Ziva, they were going too fast. To Gibbs, they were just opening.

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NCIS:Catwalk:2031

Tim stood on the platform, hands outstretched on the bar as he kept his eyes fixated on the elevator. It seemed all eyes were waiting for those silver doors to open, letting Tony and Ziva emerge from them.

Abby slowly walked down the stairs, meeting her husband as she lay her head down on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him. "Anything yet?" she whispered into his ear.

"Three false alarms. Anna's getting jittery." he replied absently, as he listened to Abby let out a sigh.

"They should be here by-" but she cut herself off as she heard a _ding._

She felt Tim hold his breath as he kept his focus on the elevator doors, watching silently as Gibbs limped out of the elevator, followed by Tony and Ziva, hands intertwined and bodies lingering close.

They both let out a breath as Tony and Ziva walked closer to the bullpen. Abby could hold onto the smile tugging at her lips and finally let go as she watched Anna get up, her eyes getting wider with each passing second.

She pressed her lips on the side of Tim's, tightening her grip around him. "Maybe." she whispered softly.

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NCIS:Bullpen:2031

After what seemed like forever, the doors finally opened. Anna took in a breath, unable to let it go. She turned her head and saw Gibbs emerge from the elevator. Behind him, her mother, dangerously close to Tony, the man she recognized from all those worn pictures through the years, her father.

Her eyes grew wide as the couple came into the bullpen. Her mother's eyes had already met hers, nodding as the turned the corner.

Anna hadn't taken her eyes off of Tony since he entered the bullpen. She slowly got out of her chair, feeling her brother tense as Tony came into view. He looked like all the pictures, he hadn't changed too much. He just looked older and she was glad. Her mother had fallen in love with the Tony Dinozzo in the pictures, if he was just like that one, maybe they'd have a chance.

Anna hardly noticed their intertwined hands, as her eyes were fixated on Tony.

Tony's mouth opened slightly, in awe at the sight of the young man and woman sitting at McGee's old desk. A smile crossed his lips as he came to the middle of the bullpen, past Sandy and Carson, who was leaning on the edge of Sandy's desk.

Father and Daughter finally reached each other, with smiles on their faces as they saw each other's features start to come out in one another. Anna breathed a laugh, _finally_ was the only thought running through her head.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her dad, letting a tear fall down as she felt his arms wrap around her as well. She wanted to stay in his embrace forever, but she had to let go.

Meeting his eyes once again, she could help but smiling. "Dad." she breathed, letting a tear fall down her cheek.

"Anna." he whispered, causing another tear to run down her cheek, and an even bigger smile to stain her face. "Hope I lived up to your expectations." he joked in normal Dinozzo fashion.

"More than you can imagine." she said softly. "I really want to get to know you." she admitted nervously after a moment.

"If I'm going to walk you down the aisle," her smile almost stretched off her face. "then, I'd like to know you too."

Another silence lingered in the bullpen before Tony realized something. "You have my eyes." he noticed kindly.

Anna let out another chuckle before looking down at the floor, blushing slightly. "Ima says that all the time."

Tony turned to Ziva, who hid her smile by looking down at the floor. He turned back, noticing the male version of Ziva eyeing him. "Avery." he said, causing Avery to force a smile.

"Tony." he nodded.

Tony stifled a chuckle. "Nice to meet you…son." he said nervously.

"Nice to finally meet you too." he smiled.

After a short moment of tension, Avery finally gave up his stubbornness and gave Tony a short hug. But it wasn't short for Tony, he cherished every second of it. He had a son, and a daughter. He was a father. He had been given another chance to be a father, to be a better father than his own father. And he may also have been given another chance at love.

Ziva looked around at the bullpen, her daughter, her son, and Tony. It was strange to see them all together, but a comfortable strange. She could feel Abby and Tim's eyes on her from the catwalk and definitely sensed Gibbs smile. And just for a second, she thought she could hear Ducky's laugh coming from a distance.

Maybe, if fate was on their side, they could have a happy ending.

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**No! Don't worry, that's not it! Much more to come, trying to update quicker too.**

**Unbetaed, I'll fix my mistakes later.**

**Thank you to all who have reviewed and are sticking with me during those bumpy chapters, your love is greatly appreciated. **

**Review! Please! My review count is down, and I know its cause of my sucky chapters, but I really like this one, so please make a girl happy? **


	21. Just Like We Used To

**Ohmygod. I am soo sorry for the delay, truly I am. I really wanted to get a new chapter out, I did. But I had about no time to do anything, cept write a oneshot…and put a new chapter of motherhood…ok, so I kinda was putting this one off a little, but I didn't really know how to start it, or end it, or what to put in the middle.**

**So, again, sorry for the delay, and I'm so sorry that I'm breaking Gibbs' golden rule, so yes, I am sorry *kisses cheek solemnly in the men's bathroom***

**But thanks sososo much for all that have reviewed these past chapters, your reviews get me through these hideous school days:D**

**Disclaimer: If only I was Donald Bellasario…I'd even settle for Shane Brennan.**

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NCIS:2031:Catwalk

A smile creeped along Abby's face as Gibbs walked up the carpeted stairs to meet her. She opened up her arms and wrapped them around him, squeezing him tighter than she, or her, needed.

"You came." she whispered softly in his ear, excitement filled her tone.

"And miss your birthday?" he said undoubtedly, her arms still around him as he placed his softly around her back.

She let go of him, looking him in the eye with her hands still at his shoulders. "You remembered." she smiled tightly, holding in her inner excitement.

He narrowed his eyes softly on hers and raised an eyebrow, making her smile grow wider. "We going to Alfonso's?" he asked.

"Just like every year." she agreed happily.

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McGee Residence:2031:A Few Days Later

Dinner was finished, it had been for a while, and now everyone was gathered in the den by the fire. It was a picture perfect moment, like some cliché picture out of a home and gardens magazine. Everything _looked_ perfect. But looks can definitely be deceiving.

The tension between Tony and Ziva was rising faster than speedometer on a NASCAR racer. Even though they had been acting very comfortable around each other, you could sense something going on. And things had yet to be fully worked out between them.

Although Tony and Anna were getting along better than anyone had expected, things between Tony and Avery had not been touched. Avery still had his unmentioned reasons for not taking to his father right away and no matter how hard Tony had tried, his efforts were unsuccessful.

With Ziva sitting peacefully on the couch, her head on Gibb's shoulder and Katie's puppy, Mercury, on her lap, Tony decided to venture around for Avery, who had not been seen since after dinner.

After a quick search of the house, Tony finally found his son sitting outside on the back deck, looking out into the Anacostia River that settled in between the trees. He looked at the back of Avery, taking in a deep breath before sitting in the empty chair next to him.

Avery turned his head in Tony's direction, mostly just to see who it was. "Hey." Tony greeted, sitting down.

"Shalom." Tony almost chuckled at how official he sounded.

"Your mom told me you're almost ready to become director." he said after a moment.

"Mhm." Avery hummed, taking a sip of bourbon.

With the heavy smell entering his nostrils, Tony let out a light chuckle causing Avery to curiously turn his head with a questioning look. "Nothing. It's just…bourbon." he chuckled again. "Bourbon and I have been through a lot." he joked.

"You are a drinker?" Tony could sense he didn't seemed surprised, as if he wanted him to be, just to have another reason to be angry with him.

"Only when things got rough." he said simply.

A heavy silence lingered around them, neither knowing what to say. Until Tony figured what Avery was thinking, just like he always knew what Ziva was thinking. "Look, Avery…" he trailed off slightly, and Avery could feel the tension rising.

"I know, you're probably mad. But…if I would have known, I promise you, I would have been there." Tony explained wholeheartedly. "My father sucked. But he was _there_ and sucked. I didn't even get the chance to be there for you."

Avery let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. "If Ziva had told me, I would have been there in a second, for everything." he paused, as Avery kept his ears on every word. "But, I'm here now. And, if you'll allow it, I'd liked to be part of your life." he finally breathed.

Avery looked down into his drink, letting his father's words sink deep into his mind. Finally, he looked up at Tony. "I think I would like that."

A smile crossed Tony's face. Avery could have said a hundred other things, but he didn't.

* * *

McGee Residence: The Next Night

It had been exactly one week since Ziva had gone to Mexico. One week since she had seen Tony for the first time in six years. One week since she had talked to him. One week since she had this indescribable feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And now, Ziva sat peacefully on the guest bed, a book in her hand and a glass of wine on the nightstand. She heard a soft knock and sighed at the thought of having to get up from her comfortable position. But the intruder opened the door a crack, popping his head in just enough for her to see his emerald green eyes.

"Hey." he greeted somewhat awkwardly.

"Tony…" she trailed off, a smile tugging at her lips and that feeling returning.

She motioned for him to come in and he took a breath as he stood at the side of the bed. "Busy?" he asked with a smile.

"No." she smiled. He nodded; she could see the excitement growing in his eyes.

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck, the other hand behind his back, hiding something from her. "I don't know if you noticed…but today _is_ the first Tuesday I've seen you in twenty years." he let loose a smile.

"Actually, it is the second." she corrected with smiling eyes.

"First _full _Tuesday." he corrected himself.

She smiled, her eyes turning curious. "Yes, I remembered." she paused. "I thought _you_ may have forgotten." she teased, knowing it was a lie.

Tony chuckled. "Me, forget Tuesday? Never." he ran over to the TV. "Shall I?"

"What were we up to?" she questioned with a smile, _just like she used to_.

"Halfway through the G's." he popped the DVD in the player and ran over to the bed, sitting next to her, wrapping his arm around her, letting her sink into him, _just like they used to_.

"Ghostbusters." he whispered into her curls, _just like he used to_.

Before the FBI warning had a chance to delay their movie, Ziva turned to Tony, staring at him admiringly as his eyes stayed on the screen, well aware she was watching him, just like she used to.

"Tony, wait." she said quietly, causing him to shoot her a look of concern. He paused the movie at her solemn expression. "We cannot do this." she breathed, not looking at him.

His expression turned questioning as he looked at her eyes drift around the pattern of the blanket. "We cannot just pretend like nothing happened." her eyes soon met his. "Twenty years happened." she finished softly.

He swallowed as she kept her eyes on his; they were full of kindness and concern. "I miss you Tony." she whispered kindly, truthfully. "And this week has been…well, I have had this feeling, one that I have not had in twenty years." the corners of her lips began to lift. "And…I like this feeling." He could hear the chuckle in her words. He cracked a smile.

"The point is." she took in a breath. "What you said in Mexico that night, about us…I would like that, very much so." the smile she had been holding finally slipped.

"You think we can do it?" he asked with a smile after a moment.

She kept her smile. "Our relationship may not have been, perfect…but I do not think there is such a thing as a _perfect_ relationship."

"So we'll have to stick to imperfection." he said nonchalantly. "Never stopped us before."

They're eyes melted into each other's. "I _am_ sorry…for _every_ year that I did not tell you about Anna and Avery." she said solemnly.

His eyes narrowed slightly on hers, "You wanna start over?" he added a charming smile.

"No." she said simply. "I think we can pick up where we left off." she answered slyly.

Soon, the stares became unbearable. Ziva brought her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks as she pressed her lips ever so gently onto his. Unwillingly letting go, she let her nose rest on his for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

But before she could pull away any further, she felt Tony's hand on the back of her neck, bring her lips back to his, _just like they used to_.

* * *

**Short, I know. But good right?**

**I've decided that there will only be like two more chapters, I really wanna get started on my other stories, so I'm hoping for a sooner update but with finals coming up…**

**Review! Please, I want a review from everyone this chapter! This is the big one, well, the second biggest one. I wanna know what you guys think! What else you want cleared up before it ends!**


	22. The Day We've Been Waiting For

**Sorry for the delayment. So many story ideas, so little time. Not as many reviews as I had hoped but C'est la vie I guess right? For those of you that did review…to be blunt, I love you.**

**Anyways, won't delay this any further! Let the wedding prevail!**

**Disclaimer: naw…naw I don't.**

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A Beach: One Month Later

Today was the day.

The day that made it all happen; the day that Anna and Ethan had awaited anxiously; the day that everyone had awaited anxiously.

Everything had been planned perfectly. They picked a spot on the beach that resembled Israel as best they could. And now, Anna sat in the back of an NCIS van, her dress on and perfectly fitting. Her half up, half down do looked as natural as possible.

Sandy had her hand placed comfortingly on Ann's shoulder as the Israeli stared worryingly into the mirror on the makeshift vanity made of forensic equipment and evidence boxes.

"I'm sure you look beautiful." Sandy offered, feeling a bit useless.

Anna took in a deep breath. "Thanks." she mumbled. "I am just…a little nervous."

"Do you love him?" she asked bluntly.

Anna kept staring at her reflection, knowing that it would not matter if she looked at Sandy or not, she had already gotten used to that. "Of course."

"Are you _in_ love with him?" she questioned, eyebrow raised.

Anna didn't pause, she knew the answer. "Yes." she followed Sandy's lead.

"Then what are the butterflies for?" she smiled.

"Butterflies…who said anything about butterflies?" Anna asked confused.

Sandy rolled her eyes, but gave her a smile. "Never mind." she said quickly. "Now come on, _you_ have a wedding to attend." she looped her arm in Anna's and let her guide her out of the truck, where Tony was waiting.

Although Father Time had done _some_ damage, he still looked dashing in a tux. But would you expect anything else from a man that spent the best years of his life in Armani ties and Gucci shoes?

The smile on his face was indescribable as he watched his daughter emerge from the back of the truck. "Wow." he said in astonishment, causing Anna's cheeks to turn slightly red. "_You_, look beautiful."

The corners of her lips moved upwards. "Thank you." she said, not noticing Carson come up to them.

"You clean up nice." he teased, looping his arm with Sandy's. Anna turned around to meet his eyes and gave him a thankful smile.

Katie rounded the truck her eyes growing wide at the sight of her cousin. "Whoa. You look great." she smiled. Anna looped her arm into her father's, her smile growing wider and her cheeks becoming redder with all the admiration.

"Anna!" Avery appeared from the side of the truck. "Ethan is-" he stopped and smiled. A smile he never thought he'd give his sister. He nodded, holding back a chuckle. "I am impressed. You look…amazing." he wandered over to her, giving her a brotherly hug.

"Wow, I thought I would die before," Tony subconsciously held his breath. "I heard those words out of your mouth." she smiled and Tony let out the breath he forgot he had been holding.

And then, Ziva squeezed through her son and Katie, her eyes glistening and her throat was becoming dry. She shook her head with a smile plastered on her face. Tony watched her lovingly as she admired her daughter. "Oh my…" she took a deep breath. "You are beautiful Anna." Ziva whispered, holding back a few tears as she brushed a stray hair away from her face.

"Ani ohve otach." Anna said softly into her mother's ear as Ziva wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"Ani ohve otach." she repeated, letting a single tear make its way down her cheek.

Ziva finally let go of her daughter, but with her hands still on her shoulders she gave her one final look and one last deep breath and let her go.

Tony wiped the tear from Ziva's cheek as she smiled at him lovingly. Then, he looped his arm back in Anna's and led her to the bottom of the dunes.

The music started and Anna tightened her grip on her father's arm as she watched her small bridal party walk down the long rug placed delicately over the sand.

She mentally thanked herself for having her wedding on the beach. The sound of the waves gently crashing and the calling of the seagulls calmed her nerves. And the salty breeze that filled her nose temporarily brought her back to the beaches in Tel Aviv.

Taking one last final breath she looked up to her father who gave her a charming smile. He leant over and gave her a small peck on the cheek. She smiled and nodded before turning around and letting him guide her up the dune and towards the gazebo where Ethan was waiting anxiously.

She watched his eyes grow wide and his lips part into a smile. She met his eyes and matched his smile.

As she walked down the 'isle' she saw all of her friends and loved ones sitting in the chairs, smiling at her and taking pictures, which she hated. The picture part, not the smiles.

They were soon at the end of the isle and had to part. He gave her a quick kiss to the temple before unlatching his arm from hers and taking his place next to Ziva, who rested her head on his shoulder.

The rest of the ceremony went perfectly. No slurred lines, no old flame outbursts, just Anna and Ethan. Just love.

* * *

And now, they were at the hall where the reception was being held. Anna and Ethan had been announced and had their first dance. Tony and Anna had their dance together, as well as Ethan and his mother.

Now, a slow dance came on. 100 years.

Tony let the song before that finish and let Ethan take his new bride for this song. He wandered over to Ziva, who was dancing with their son. Tony gave Avery an asking look and Avery let his mother go, a smile plastered on his face as he went in search for Katie.

A coy smile tugged at Ziva's lips and Tony took gently held her hand and she wrapped the other softly around his waist. They swayed for a moment, eyeing each other caringly before Ziva took her hand from his shoulder and wrapped it around her neck, as well as the other one. She laid her head against his chest as his hands moved securely around her waist.

She felt safe in his embrace. She longed for his hold. The one she had come to love 20 long years ago. He was a teddy bear when it came to her.

They had spent a month building their relationship back up from their kiss a few weeks ago. But those three simple words, the ones that had not been said for twenty years, the ones they both yearned to hear, had not been said; but had been felt.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

The music came on, the lights dimmed.

Abby's eyes met Tim's momentarily. And that was it.

He got up, reaching his hand out for her to take it, which she graciously did. She smiled as he gently pulled her to the dance floor, letting her wrap her around his neck.

Her smile grew slyer as their faces became closer. He spontaneously pecked her lips, and her smile engulfed her face. "We haven't danced in a while." she whispered.

"What are you talking about? We just dance a few months ago at the Inauguration." he furrowed his eyebrows.

She narrowed her eyes on him playfully and shrugged her shoulders. "No matter. I like it."

He looked at her, falling in love with her all over again. "You remember the first time we met?"

A chuckle came from her mouth. "How could I forget? You got a tat on your ass for me."

He laughed. "It was worth it." he smiled charmingly.

She shook her head as she smiled. "And you remember our first date?"

"Mhm." he kissed her softly.

She skipped over the part of their breakup, hating herself for doing it in the first place. But she had no idea she would one day marry McGee. "And how we got back together?" she raised her eyebrow.

He proudly wore a smile, nodding as he pulled her closer. "I was bummed Tony was considering retirement." she began.

"And you locked yourself in your lab for the day." he continued.

"But you got in anyway." she smiled deviously. "And when you saw me crying, you came and hugged me." she paused for a second, sighing as her mind wandered to that night. "I soaked your shirt with my tears." she said in disbelief of herself through a laugh.

"But I didn't care." he matched her smile.

"And then…I looked up…and kissed you." she said whispered, delivering a tender kiss to his lips.

He chuckled. "You rested your forehead against mine." he said, while doing so. "And we stayed like that for what? An hour?" she nodded in agreement. "Until you finally feel asleep on my shoulder."

"Best night's sleep I ever had." she giggled. "And that was it. We we're back"

"And then, you gave me Katie and the rest," he kissed her again. "Is history."

"When you say it like that, you make us seem old." she teased.

He chuckled out of love and watched her eyes wander the dance floor. "Aw." she puppy faced her lips, motioning for her husband to look to the side.

When he did he saw Avery dancing with Katie. Smiles and laughs in their every movement. "They're so cute together." she cooed.

"They're cousins!" he protested.

"Not by blood. Their kids won't have any weird mutations or anything." she said casually, actually thinking of the idea. "Abs, he's _21_, she's _14_." he said in disbelief.

"He _just_ turned 21, and she'll be _15_ next month." she justified. "That's only a six year difference."

He shook his head in disbelief at his wife. "You're _kidding_ right?"

She didn't answer right away, but kept her eyes on her daughter and Avery. The height difference was not a lot and they always had fun when they were with each other. "It won't seem so much like rape when she's twenty and he's twenty-six." she explained quickly.

"That's like me hooking up with Ziva." he eyed her. "Or you with Tony." she eyed _him_ mischievously.

"It's not that bad, _marrying your best friend_."

He shook her head at Abby, a smile creeping along his lips. "Yea, but do you really want Tony and Ziva as in-laws?"

She turned back to him. "We're already one big happy family." They looked over to Tony and Ziva, who were dancing as close as the newly-wed couple, and exchanged looks.

Abby took a deep breath, having waited for the moment for a few weeks. She turned back to her husband. "And speaking of growing families…"

He furrowed his eyebrows, making her smile. "I'm getting my tubes tied after this." she sighed, a smile pulling her lips upward.

Her words sunk in and one of his eyebrows rose as his mouth opened to form a perfect 'o'. "Y-you're…p-p-pregnant?" he stuttered in disbelief.

She nodded unwillingly. His smile broke. "What?" he breathed a laugh.

"I'm old Tim." she shook her head, but kept her smile.

He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her lips to his. "This is…" he gave her another kiss. "You're amazing Abby."

"Tim…" she whined. But her eyes grew wide when he placed a finger gently to her lips. "Abs, we can do this. We've been through _so_ much." he said lovingly. "What's one more baby?"

She bit her inner lip as he gave her a concerned look. "What?" he asked worryingly, searching her eyes for an answer.

"Actually…it's _dos_ babies." she explained quietly.

His eyes grew wider, until she thought they would come out of his sockets. But before she could tell whether it was a bad shocked or a good shocked, his lips met hers, once again. He pulled back, a smile on both of their faces "Twins?". She chuckled. "You ready to be parents again?"

* * *

The song finally ended. Ziva watched out of the corner of her eye as her daughter shared a passionate kiss with her husband. She took her head off of Tony's chest and looked into his emerald eyes.

"You're so beautiful." he whispered. She smiled shyly.

A moment of silence lingered between them as their faces, their lips, inched closer. But before they could touch, she spoke. "I love you." she admitted, slowly and softly.

The corners of his lips turned upwards. "I never stopped." he whispered, finally bringing his lips gently to hers. "I love you." he mumbled against her lips.

They may just have found their happy ending.

* * *

**Unbetaed, I'll fix it in the a.m.**

**I'm a sucker for a happy ending:D**

**But this is not the ending…I think one more chapter.**

**oh! and abby's like 47, so she's not ubberly old. i mean john travolta's wife is preggo and she's 47.**

**I wanna get this done so I can start with my other stories.**

**So review! Please! Please! I have a huge Global test coming up and your reviews do wonder with my grades, really they do!**


	23. The Old Bullpen

**Ah! Last chapter! I want to thank every reviewer! I love you guyses sososo much! **

**And you would have had this chapter like 4 hours ago except my computer decided to die on me and not save anything. **

**So I just wanna wrap things up, and I'm pretty excited cause this is the first story that I've actually completed so yay! So thank you again for putting up with this very OOC story. **

**And yes, RedDragonForce, I realize this did not go exactly the way you planned it, so if anyone out there wants to take this where I left off and focus on the new MCRT, then be my guest. Send me a PM of your idea and I'll contact RDF.**

**Kays? Kays!**

**Disclaimer: wow, my last disclaimer for this story….it's actually a little sad. Now I just realized I don't own NCIS…now I is sadder.

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NCIS: Bullpen: One Year Later: 2032

One year had passed since their lives changed for the better.

Twenty two years had passed since the day that altered their lives.

And life still went on.

The bullpen was almost empty, except for newly pregnant Officer Anna David-Abdul who sat at her mother's old desk checking the Petty Officer's bank statement and deposits. Carson and Sandy were down in interrogation and Tanner was in MTAC discussing an op. with Mossad Director Avery David.

With her efforts drawing a blank, Anna was on the verge of giving up. She rubbed her small baby bump kindly, when something caught her eye. Petty Officer Aaron had been writing out monthly checks to a Kimberly Crystal for $600. Scribbling down the address, she quickly gathered her things and headed for the elevator, practically tumbling over her parents as they exited.

She gave them a sweet smile before rushing back into the elevator, the sun was starting to go down and she wanted to get back to Ethan before he got home from class.

Ziva watched her daughter admiringly as the elevator doors closed. Tony's arm around her waist brought her out of her trance. They walked to the entrance of the bullpen, staring for a second at the place they used to call their second home. Tony gently squeezed his fiancé's hand, feeling the ring press up against his palm. She looked at him lovingly, a smile tugging at her lips.

He let go of her hand and watched her wander over to her old desk, admiring her ring as she slid her finger over the smooth surface. She slowly took a seat at her daughter's desk, chuckling at the sight of Tony sitting comfortably at his old desk, feet up and hands folded behind his head.

A thought popped into Tony's mind as he quickly removed his feet from the desk and opened the side drawer. Confusion crossed Ziva's face as his expression lit up upon opening the metal drawer. "What?" she questioned, leaning across her desk.

"My Ohio State sticker is still here." he said proudly, causing a chuckle to slip from her lips.

Ziva looked up to the catwalk just in time to see Abby and Tim coming down, each holding a carrier with one of their newborn sons, Donald and Timothy Jethro sleeping peacefully in them. They rounded the bullpen, stopping to watch Tony and Ziva as they relaxed into their chairs.

They made their way to McGee's old desk, placing the carriers on either side of them. Tim hesitated at first, but once he was in the chair he felt back at home. Abby breathed a laugh at her husband's content, balancing herself on the edge of his desk. She looked around and was immediately transported back twenty years, she _loved_ this feeling.

Just then, Palmer came from autopsy, his ringed fingered hand clutching an autopsy report. He was surprised to not see Tanner and his team like he had planned, but his confusion was soon replaced with amusement as he realized who had replaced them. He smiled as they mentally let him join him. He leaned against the edge of Tanner's empty desk and looked around. He had been there long enough to pick his favorite team and by far, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and McGee were his favorite.

The more people that came into the bullpen, the emptier it seemed; something or _someone_ was missing. But before anyone could process another thought, Gibbs emerged from the elevator and limped to the opening of the bullpen.

All five faces lit up at the sight of the fearless silver fox as he stood there, looking around, feeling good. He let a smile slip from his lips as he wandered over to his old desk, staring at it momentarily before taking a seat in the empty chair.

They just kept looking around at each other, enjoying each other's presences. They laughed at their jokes and smiled at each other's glances.

And it felt just like old times.

Now, we can sit here for hours pondering what would have happened if Gibbs and Ziva had gotten out of that bomb in time and think of thousands of scenarios. With Rule 12 still there, Tony and Ziva may not have gotten together, so no Anna and Avery. If the team hadn't broken up, Abby and Tim wouldn't have been married, no Katie, Donald and T.J.

Like I said, a thousand things. But all thousand of those can be traced back to that small explosion, the one that cost Gibbs his leg and the rest of the team, their fate.

So was it inevitable? Was the bomb supposed to go off? Or did the explosion take fate for a little detour?

Well, it doesn't matter. Twenty years later, here they are, back in the bullpen. They were a family again, and would now forever be, not by blood, but by fate and friendship.

All these years had passed, but it didn't matter. And Abby found she was wrong.

Because the now, was looking a lot better each and every day.

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**Ah! Wow, it's over. I know. I just wanted to wrap things up and get on with my other stories. But I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you like reading it!**

**Oh! And if you're confused about the last line, refer to the last line of Chapter15 "Pictures Of You, Pictures of Me."**

**I was thinking of doing a little snippet of the year in between this, like Tony and Ziva's engagement, the twin's birth, I don't know if you'd be interested but…**

**So please, leave your last review and thank you all so much for your love!**

**-n.c.i.s**


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